San Francisco: A barge which sank over the weekend carrying 180 tons of ammonium nitrate sent authorities in Costa Rica on to high alert. The accident took place in the Nicoya Gulf on Saturday. An emergency zone along about 62 miles of coast near the tourist town of Puntarenas was declared.
By Sunday the National Emergency Commission had downgraded a public alert from ‘red’ to ‘yellow’ and advised swimmers that it’s safe to go back into the water.
The barge was transporting the chemical to fertilizer firm Fertilizantes de Centroamerica.
