The Armed Forces have deployed around 600 troops —provided with personal protective equipment— to support the clean-up of coastal areas contaminated by the oil spill in Lima's Ventanilla sea area,
Deputy Minister for Defense Resources Edwin Coico has reported.
"They not only do a great work, but also advise groups of volunteers and representatives from some municipalities that are lending a hand in this matter," he said while highlighting the work of the
Joint Command of the Armed Forces, the
Navy, and the
Peruvian Army.
The deputy minister highlighted the deployment of the marines and the new specialized unit of the Army, the 21st Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radiological Company of the First Multipurpose Brigade.
"An investigation is being carried out —with due process— to determine the legal responsibilities of participants, and once the expert reports are finished —which are well under way— we will be able to determine what the cause was, where the responsibility lay and, above all, fully identify those responsible," he said.
The government official affirmed that pollution has not only affected biodiversity, but is also causing great damage to the people who make their living from the sea, noting that all this must be quantified.
Remarks were made at the end of the extraordinary session of the National Disaster Risk Management Council, which took place last night at the headquarters of the
National Emergency Operations Center (COEN) in Lima's Chorrillos district.
(END) NDP/JOT/RMB/MVB
Published: 1/25/2022