The mayor of the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk, who was charged with negligence last month over a major fuel spill in the region, resigned on Monday, the RIA news agency reported. State investigators opened a criminal case against Mayor Rinat Akhmetchin, after 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked from a tank near Norilsk on May 29. They were suspected of having continued to use an unsafe fuel storage tank that had needed repairs since 2018. In this handout photo provided by the Russian Marine Rescue Service, rescuers work to prevent the spread from an oil spill outside Norilsk, 2,900 kilometres northeast of Moscow on June 2. (Russian Marine Rescue Service via AP)The fuel tank at the power plant lost pressure and released diesel into rivers and subsoil near the city of Norilsk, 2,900 kilometres northeast of Moscow.

Source: CBC News July 21, 2020 15:00 UTC