Kuwaiti oil company declares state of emergency after oil spill

(Patria) - The Kuwaiti oil company declared a "state of emergency" on Monday after an oil spill on land, AFP reported.

The emergency situation followed a "leak of oil in the west of the country," according to a statement from the state-owned company.

"There were no injuries as a result of the leak and production was not affected," said company spokesman Qusai al-Amer, adding that there were no reports of toxic fumes.

The leak "occurred on land, but not in a residential area," he later told AFP.

Teams have been dispatched to determine the source of the leak and contain the incident, Al-Amer said, refusing to specify the exact location of the spill.

Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai published a video on Twitter showing a pipeline spewing large amounts of oil onto barren land. Kuwait is an oil-producing country where almost 90 percent of state revenue comes from oil.

A key member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), it currently produces about 2.7 million barrels per day.

The Kuwaiti oil company previously reported oil leaks at its fields in 2020 and 2016. In 2017, Kuwaiti authorities reported two oil slicks on the shores of the Gulf state within a few days.