Putin Declares State of Emergency as 20,000 Tons of Oil Spills into Arctic River

A Russian mining company operating in the arctic region, near the city of Norilsk, has spilled more than 20,000 tons of diesel oil into a river located in the Arctic Circle.

The fuel tank was placed adjacent to a power plant, and is owned by the Norilsk Nickel company, which is the ‘world's top nickel and palladium producer’, the BBC reports.

The spill that turned the Norilsk River red, might cause an environmental catastrophe for the region, mostly to Norilsk and the surrounding Siberia.

Putin has declared a state of emergency, which allows for extra means to be arranged for the cleanup.

The Russian President spoke publicly on Wednesday, stressing that the appropriate officials only learned about the incident two days after it occurred.

"Why did government agencies only find out about this two days after the fact?" Putin mauled Sergei Lipin, the company's head. "Are we going to learn about emergency situations from social media?" he added.

Putin has ordered a conclusive investigation and a criminal probe into the matter. On top of this, he has detained the manager of the plant.