Two Russian oil tankers with 29 crew members on board have sunk in the Black Sea due to bad weather and are now leaking oil, Russian authorities said.
A video from social media, which the BBC has failed to verify, appears to show one ship breaking and sinking in the middle of a strong storm, with traces of oil visible in the water.
The incident took place in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Crimea.
A rescue and clean-up operation is underway involving two tugboats, two helicopters and more than 50 personnel, TASS news agency reported.
“Today, due to a storm in the Black Sea, two tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank,” Russia’s federal sea and inland water transport agency, Rosmorrechflot, wrote in a statement.
“There were 15 and 14 crew members on board. This accident led to the spill of oil products,” it continued.
Source link
