Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel fuel spilled into a river inside the Arctic Circle.

The incident occurred at a power plant near the city of Norilsk on Friday, The Guardian has reported. Since then, the leaked oil has moved 7.5 miles from the site and has polluted the Ambarnaya river, turning it red.

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Sergey Verkhovets, coordinator of Arctic projects at Russias World Wildlife Fund has said to CNN that the spill would have “catastrophic consequences” as it could result in dead fish, polluted plumage of birds, and poisoned animals.