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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| S Korea declares slick 'disaster' | S Korea declares slick 'disaster' |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The South Korean government has declared a "state of disaster" along a stretch of coastline affected by the country's worst-ever oil spill. | The South Korean government has declared a "state of disaster" along a stretch of coastline affected by the country's worst-ever oil spill. |
| A fleet of 100 ships has been fighting to contain the 10,000-ton spill, but emergency workers have been unable to prevent the oil washing ashore. | A fleet of 100 ships has been fighting to contain the 10,000-ton spill, but emergency workers have been unable to prevent the oil washing ashore. |
| Earlier the Hebei Spirit, the tanker which hit a barge and was holed causing the spill, was finally sealed. | Earlier the Hebei Spirit, the tanker which hit a barge and was holed causing the spill, was finally sealed. |
| The 17km (10.6-mile) slick threatens wildlife and valuable sea farms. | The 17km (10.6-mile) slick threatens wildlife and valuable sea farms. |
| 'Dark brown' sea | 'Dark brown' sea |
| According to South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the Hong Kong-registered vessel had been at anchor when it was hit by the industrial barge, which had broken free from its towing lines. | According to South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the Hong Kong-registered vessel had been at anchor when it was hit by the industrial barge, which had broken free from its towing lines. |
| MARITIME OIL SPILLS July 1979 - Greek tanker Atlantic Express spilled 287,000 tons off Trinidad and Tobago March 1978 - Amoco Cadiz spilled 223,000 tons off Brittany, FranceNovember 2002 - Greek-owned Prestige spilled 77,000 tons off Galicia, SpainMarch 1989 - Exxon Valdez spilled 37,000 tons in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USDecember 2007 Hebei Spirit spills 10,000 tons off S Korea's west coast In pictures: S Korean spill | |
| Local residents reported seeing the oil slick as it approached the shoreline. | Local residents reported seeing the oil slick as it approached the shoreline. |
| "This is not the sea we used to have. It's all dark brown. Sea waves are dark brown, the beach is scattered with greasy clumps of sand," a witness told the AFP news agency. | "This is not the sea we used to have. It's all dark brown. Sea waves are dark brown, the beach is scattered with greasy clumps of sand," a witness told the AFP news agency. |
| Coast guard, navy and fishing vessels, accompanied by six helicopters, have been trying to prevent the slick from spreading using a boom and chemical dispersants. | Coast guard, navy and fishing vessels, accompanied by six helicopters, have been trying to prevent the slick from spreading using a boom and chemical dispersants. |
| Over 6,000 people, including government workers, local residents and volunteers, are participating in the operation. | Over 6,000 people, including government workers, local residents and volunteers, are participating in the operation. |
| But they have been unable to prevent crude oil from washing onto the beaches in Taean district, 100km (60 miles) south-west of the capital Seoul. | But they have been unable to prevent crude oil from washing onto the beaches in Taean district, 100km (60 miles) south-west of the capital Seoul. |
| They spent most of Sunday carrying buckets of pungent sludge, treating oiled birds and scrubbing blackened rocks with absorbent cloths. | They spent most of Sunday carrying buckets of pungent sludge, treating oiled birds and scrubbing blackened rocks with absorbent cloths. |
| The BBC's John Sudworth, in Seoul, says that with their beach now coated in a 10cm layer of oil, local people fear for their livelihoods and for the long-term impact on the region's ecology, including a designated national maritime park and areas of wetland important for migrating birds. | The BBC's John Sudworth, in Seoul, says that with their beach now coated in a 10cm layer of oil, local people fear for their livelihoods and for the long-term impact on the region's ecology, including a designated national maritime park and areas of wetland important for migrating birds. |
| "We are worried about an ecological disaster," said Kim Jong-sik, an official with the ministry of maritime affairs and fisheries. | "We are worried about an ecological disaster," said Kim Jong-sik, an official with the ministry of maritime affairs and fisheries. |
| "We have set up a boom, trying to stop oil from spreading along the coast, but oil sometimes overflows it depending on the currents," he told the French news agency AFP. | "We have set up a boom, trying to stop oil from spreading along the coast, but oil sometimes overflows it depending on the currents," he told the French news agency AFP. |
| "If we fail to contain the spread, it is feared [it will] inflict serious damage to the coast," he said. | "If we fail to contain the spread, it is feared [it will] inflict serious damage to the coast," he said. |
| South Korea's previously largest spill happened in 1995, when 5,000 tonnes of oil washed onto the country's southern coast. | South Korea's previously largest spill happened in 1995, when 5,000 tonnes of oil washed onto the country's southern coast. |