"Russia Wednesday expanded an operation to clean up thousands of tonnes of oil that spilt into the sea and contaminated 50 kilometers of beaches after tanker ships were wrecked in a storm.

An aging Russian oil tanker broke up and sank and another ran aground Sunday in a strait linking the Azov and Black Seas, between Moscow-annexed Crimea and southern Russia's Krasnodar region, known for its beach resorts.

Russia's emergencies ministry said Wednesday it was working on cleaning up 49 kilometers (30 miles) of beaches from the resort of Anapa north to the port of Temryuk, and patrolling a total of 70km of beaches."

AFP had the story Decenber 18, 2024. [2]