The accident occurred Sunday and the place, where the sewage pipeline burst open, was detected only four hours later after about 3,000 cubic meters of sewage had already spilled out, according to computer data.
The Klaipedos Vandenys (Waters of Klaipeda) utility company said the spilled sewage began to be collected in reservoirs, but after they were overloaded, a decision was made to release the sewage into the sea to avoid it getting in the streets of the city.
"This is a major, distressing accident," the company head said. "People will not be hurt, but damage will certainly be caused to the environment."
The sewage is continuing to flow into the Baltic Sea via the Curonian Bay at a volume of 1,500 cubic meters per hour and preliminary estimations suggest it will take more than 24 hours to repair the damaged pipeline.
