A fuel vessel that was filling up at a gas station in Bartica tilted, spilling some diesel into the Essequibo River late yesterday afternoon.

Reports out of the Region Seven community state that the vessel, owned by a Brazilian, was tied to the wharf and had just finished taking on fuel at the Double Platinum Service Station when it tilted to one side.

The vessel, which has two cylinders capable of holding 20 drums of fuel each, had four outlets and some of the fuel spilled out. It was not clear how much of the fuel had spilled out but the remainder was immediately pumped out.

Sources in the community said that a clean-up was attempted but some of the spilled fuel had begun to move up river.