Authorities declared a region-wide state of emergency in Russia's Krasnodar region, warning that oil was still washing up on the coastline following a December 15 incident involving two Volgoneft tankers carrying thousands of tons of low-quality heavy fuel oil. "Initially, according to the calculations of scientists and specialists, the bulk of fuel oil should have remained at the bottom of the Black Sea, which would allow it to be collected in water. But the weather dictates its own conditions -- the air warms up and oil products rise to the top. As a result, they are brought to our beaches," regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on December 25. Dozens of kilometers of Black Sea coastline in the southern Russian region have been covered in heavy fuel after the two oil tankers were badly damaged during a storm in the Kerch Strait. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
State Of Emergency Declared In Russia's Krasnodar Region As Massive Oil Spill Spreads
Volunteers help to clean up beaches after a massive oil spill in Russia's Krasnodar region.