An oil tanker that sank near the island state, located in the Indian Ocean, began to disintegrate and sent thousands of tons of oil to nearby clear lagoons • A state of emergency was declared
Oil spill off the coast of Mauritius // Photo: AP
Photo:
Oil spill off the coast of Mauritius // Photo: AP
An unprecedented ecological disaster in one of the most beautiful island nations in the world: an oil tank began to disintegrate off the coast of Mauritius as it discharged many tons of crude oil into the waters of the Indian Ocean.
The disaster occurred near a marine nature reserve in the southeast of the main island of Mauritius which is an early attraction for divers due to its shallow waters and the immense richness of marine life in it. According to local media, the damage to the reserve is likely to be irreversible.
The oil tanker ran aground near the eastern tip of the island in July but the severe leak only began in recent days. Locals have uploaded photos of beaches covered in a sticky layer of oil to social media.
Mauritius' prime minister, Frevind Jongnauth, declared a state of emergency and asked French President Emmanuel Macron for help. "Our country has no experience of this type of disaster or shipwreck nausea that has run aground."
President Macron responded by saying that his country would send vessels from the nearby island of Reunion, an area controlled by France, to help rescue the ship and clean up the oil damage.
