A cargo ship loaded with fertilizer sank after hitting a bridge on the Danube River, on the border between Serbia and Croatia, raising fears of serious environmental damage, authorities said Friday, writes UNN citing AP.
Details
Serbia's Environment Ministry said the barge, which sank about 40 minutes after midnight, was carrying 1,000 tons of nitrogen fertilizer, adding that the Environmental Protection Agency was monitoring the situation on the Danube.
Croatian authorities closed a bridge and a border crossing point with Serbia while they inspected damage to one of the bridge's pillars, into which a ship crashed. No injuries were reported as a result of the accident.
The German-registered vessel was traveling from Austria to a Serbian port on the Danube River north of the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
"The sinking of a barge with 1,000 tons of fertilizer will certainly have a negative impact on river flora and fauna, and indirectly on us," environmental expert Dušan Blagojević told N1 TV station.
Supplement
Excessive and inefficient use of fertilizer, the publication notes, can harm crop production and lead to air pollution.
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