Ecologists launched an inspection of the oil spill that took place in Yakutia's Mirninsky District, while the local authorities declared a state of emergency. The spill was caused by a leak in the Irelyakhskoye pipeline owned by Vostochnaya Sibir, said Yakutia's Minister of the Environment, Natural Resources and Forestry Sakhamin Afanasyev in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The ecologists report that the oil spill covers an area about eight kilometers from the city of Mirny. Since the pipeline is located underground, experts failed to identify the leak in the course of above-ground inspection.

"We are now carrying out an administrative investigation, taking samples, calculating the spilled oil volume," the minister said. "Following the investigation, we will prosecute the subsoil user responsible for the spill as well as clean the spill up and reclaim the land at the expense of the responsible party. The Mirninsk District administration declared a state of emergency."