Thousands of litres of diesel leak into Lake Brienz

Thousands of litres of diesel spilled into Lake Brienz Keystone-SDA

Thousands of litres of diesel spilled at Meiringen airbase in the Bernese Oberland on Thursday afternoon, with some of the fuel reaching nearby Lake Brienz, according to police and prosecutors.

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It emerged on Friday that the fuel was meant to power an emergency generator. By Thursday evening, the Swiss army had already reported pollution in a stream where the fuel had leaked.

The army said it acted quickly to put safety and environmental measures in place. Fire crews from Meiringen, Bödeli and Bern’s Protection and Rescue Service set up several anti-pollution booms along the stream, stretching from the airbase down to the mouth of Lake Brienz.

Bernese cantonal police are investigating the cause of the spill, working closely with other cantonal services. The army says it remains in regular contact with environmental and safety authorities. On Friday, police and prosecutors said assessments were still underway to determine the full extent of the pollution.

Translated from French with DeepL/sp

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