Ecuador's environment minister, Raul Ledesma, said on Monday that a situation involving a sunken barge in the Galapagos Islands that was carrying 600 gallons of diesel is under control but added that authorities are "very concerned" about the vessel's recovery.
The barge sank on Sunday after a crane at the La Predial dock of San Cristobal — the easternmost island of the Galapagos archipelago — fell while unloading cargo, Ecuador's navy said in a statement on Twitter.
Located around 1,000 km from mainland Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are home to a variety of flora and fauna that famously helped inspire Charles Darwin's theory of evolution following his 1835 visit.