Two Russian oil tankers with 29 crew members on board have been heavily damaged in the Black Sea, triggering an oil spill, authorities in Russia have said.
Footage released by Russia’s Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office showed one of the tankers broken in half and sinking amid a heavy storm, with streaks of oil visible in the water.
At least one crew member was reportedly killed and the second ship was said to be drifting after sustaining damage.
The incident took place in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from the occupied Crimean peninsula.
A rescue and clean-up operation is under way involving tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 personnel, TASS news agency reported.
It also reported that Russian authorities are investigating for criminal negligence.
“Today, as a result of 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 crews of 15 and 14 people on board the ships. The accident resulted in a spill of oil products,” it continued.
Both tankers have a loading capacity of about 4,200 tonnes of oil, Reuters news agency reported.
The full extent of the oil spill remains unclear.
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