(CNN) The Chilean Navy has been deployed after 40,000 liters of diesel were spilled into the sea near a remote island on the country's southern coast.

The oil spill occurred on Saturday off Guarello Island on the Chilean side of Patagonia, the pristine southernmost region making up the tip of both Argentina and Chile.

Chilean mining company CAP, which mines on the island, reported the incident to the navy.

The navy said several units were deployed to the area to control the spill, which had entered the waters of the South Pacific. It reported that by Sunday approximately 15,000 liters of contaminated seawater were contained. A barge and an ocean patrol boat were dispatched to the site as part of the recovery process.

The cause of the spill was not immediately clear, and the Chilean Navy has launched an investigation.

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