New oil spill reported in Ecuador

QUITO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's state-owned oil company Petroecuador had to deal with a new oil spill Thursday, caused by the rupture of a transfer pipe of Auca 19 well in the eastern province of Orellana.

The accident occurred Thursday at 07:30 local time (1330 GMT), affecting a surface area of 4,000 square meters of marsh zone in Dayuma parish, according to the website "Ecuadorinmediato".

Absorbent barriers were put in place to prevent the oil from spreading and to minimize the environmental impact. Technical workers from another oil field, the Cononaco field, have also been asked for help in curbing the pollution.

On Monday, a clandestine perforation was made in a secondary pipeline of the Tetete field in the northern province of Sucumbios.

The marsh around the spill point and a part of the Ocano riverside have been affected, workers said.