State of emergency declared in Crimea following oil spills
Russia issued a warning last weekend about significant environmental damage caused by oil spills following the collision of two tankers during a storm in Crimea.
On December 15, one tanker sank while the other was forced to turn back after the two vessels collided in the Kerch Strait.
Thousands of volunteers have begun cleanup operations, but scientists have criticized the limited resources allocated to the effort.
According to authorities, the two tankers were carrying a combined 9.2 tons of oil, with an estimated 40% of the cargo spilling into the sea.
"The situation is truly critical. It is unfortunately impossible to calculate for the moment the extent of the environmental damage but specialists are working regularly on it," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Russian press agencies.
(QG - Moscow Times / Picture: © Pixabay)