No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveOfficials Plan to Sue Company for Moín Fire

Officials Plan to Sue Company for Moín Fire

Environment and Energy Minister Roberto Dobles announced Jan. 5 that the Costa Rican government plans to sue chemical company Químicos Holanda Costa Rica S.A. for damage caused by a massive chemical fire at the company’s chemical storage facility in the Caribbean port of Moín Dec. 13, 2006.

The fire, which erupted at a facility where solvents and caustic soda were stored, left two dead and 20,000 people temporarily without water (TT, Dec. 15, 2006).

Dobles told the daily Al Día the government will sue Químicos Holanda for environmental damage and for the at least ¢250 million ($485,436) the state has spent so far to deal with the emergency.

Experts from the University of Costa Rica and Universidad Nacional are carrying out studies to evaluate the impact on water, soil and the atmosphere caused by the explosion, which produced stories-high flames that burned for 11 hours.

Their findings will be used to “take appropriate actions” against the company, Dobles said.

Studies of the possible contamination of an important spring – which was less than 75 meters from where the factory was built, supplied 20,000 limonenses with water and is now quarantined – will conclude Jan. 19, when the National Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) will decide whether the spring is useable, according to a statement from AyA.

Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias last week reported that water had been restored to all but 2,000 residents of the Caribbean province of Limón and that surface waters and ecosystems near the site of the accident were “returning to normal” (TT, Jan. 5).

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Honduras Seizes $2 Million, Gold-Plated Pistols in Drug Raid

Honduran authorities struck a blow against drug cartels, seizing over $2 million in cash, war rifles, and flashy gold-plated pistols in Copán, a northwest...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

Panama Regains Control of Bocas del Toro After Violent Protests

Panama’s government has regained control of Bocas del Toro province after months of violent anti-government protests sparked by pension reforms, officials announced. The unrest,...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica