Oil slick on Elbe raises concerns both in Germany - and Czech Rep

Specialists on Friday were called in to lay protective floating barriers around an oil slick discovered on the Elbe River. The slick has raised environmental concerns in both the Czech Republic and neighbouring Germany. 500 litres and 15 kilometres long, the slick was discovered on Friday morning near the north Bohemian city of Usti nad Labem, near the Czech-German border. The Ministry of Environment and Agriculture in the eastern German state of Saxony said it had been informed by the Czechs' steps to contain the spill. Exact causes of the contamination are not yet known, but it is possible the leak came either from a damaged pipeline or a freighter or truck accident. It is also possible the source of the slick was a leak from any of a number of chemical plants on the Elbe River.