Russia has declared a national emergency due to a major oil spill in the Black Sea following the sinking of two oil tankers.
The emergency status allows the government to deploy more responders, equipment, and funds to combat the oil spill, Minister for Civil Protection, Aleksandr Kurenkov, said in Moscow.
The two oil tankers sank during a storm on 15 December in the Kerch Strait, located between mainland Russia and Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula occupied since 2014 by Moscow. One of the tankers split in two.
Russian authorities estimate that approximately 3,000 tonnes of oil leaked into the sea. Since then, responders have collected about 30,000 tonnes of oil-contaminated sand along the mainland coast in the southern region of Krasnodar, Kurenkov told state news agency Tass.
A 220-kilometre stretch of coastline is being monitored. The minister mentioned the involvement of 10,000 responders.
However, there have been complaints from the region about the slow response of the authorities. Environmental activists claim that contaminated sand is often not disposed of correctly.
There are also reports of bags filled with contaminated sand tearing open and spilling back into the sea.
Even the popular beach in the resort town of Anapa, known for its fine sand, has been polluted. Initially, the Crimean Peninsula was not affected, due to westerly winds, but oil patches have since been observed on the southern coast.
The Black Sea coast, from Sochi to Crimea, is a significant holiday destination for Russia.
