Peru bans Repsol execs from leaving country after oil spill

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian judge has banned Repsol’s Peru director and three other executives from leaving the country for 18 months while the government investigates an oil spill at a refinery run by the Spain-based company. Peru authorities are investigating Repsol following the oil spill on Jan. 15, which was reported after surging waves caused by the eruption of an underwater volcano near Tonga. Peru declared last week an environmental emergency after announcing that 21 beaches on its Pacific coast were contaminated by the spill. Peruvian authorities on Friday raised the estimate of the size of the spill to at least 11,900 barrels. Repsol put the spill at 10,396 barrels.