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A huge blowout of oil and gas in Niger's remote eastern desert has caused an environmental incident of "exceptional severity", the petroleum ministry announced on Monday.
The landlocked west African nation has been producing oil since 2011, and extracts and refines tens of thousands of barrels per day, particularly in the Agadem region.
The blowout at the Goumeri W8 oil well, around 1,700 kilometres (1,000 miles) from the capital Niamey, occurred on September 25, according to a ministry statement read out on national TV.
Environmental impact
It has produced an "environmental incident of exceptional severity... characterised by the spewing of large quantities of crude oil and gas to a height of over 10 metres (33 feet)", the statement said, AFP reported.
As of Monday, "the situation is partially contained but not yet fully under control", the ministry said.
The causes of the blowout "have not been fully established" but "criminal or terrorist" involvement have been ruled out.
An investigation was underway with the help of "Algerian expertise", it added.
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