Lima, Dhu-AlQa'dah 8, 1437, Aug 11, 2016, SPA -- A break in an oil pipeline owned by Peru's state oil company Petroperu has caused a spill in the Peruvian Amazon, the company said, its fourth such oil spill this year in the rainforest region, dpa reported. Petroperu said it had sent teams and equipment to address the spill from the Nor Peruano pipeline in the country's north-western Amazonas region. The company's statement did not elaborate on the quantity of oil spilled or assess its environmental and health impacts. Petroperu said the nearby Nieva river, home to a protected watershed, was not affected by the spill. The spill is the fourth reported this year by the company in the Peruvian Amazon. The first occurred in January in Amazonas, and two more occurred in February and June in the adjacent Loreto region. The first two cases provoked public outrage not only for their ecological impact after revelations that Petroperu officials paid local residents, including children, paltry wages to clean up spilled crude oil without even minimal protections. Petroperu faces criminal charges in six cases for pollution offences in the last three years, according to investigators at Peru's Environment Ministry. -- SPA 00:10 LOCAL TIME 21:10 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w