Oil Spill in Mississippi River

On Wednesday a fuel laden barge collided with a tanker in New Orleans and the leaking oil coated the river to almost 100 miles from the centre of the city. The river was closed to all boats and ships.

The loss is estimated to be around $100,000 a day as 65 vessels were kept stranded after the oil spill. People in suburbs who had been taking water from the river stopped drawing water for the day after the oil covered the river surface. The birds and fish in the river have been reported to have got killed.