Two Russian oil tankers with 29 crew members have sunk in the Black Sea due to bad weather and are now leaking oil, Russian authorities said.
Video posted on Telegram by the Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, which the BBC has not been able to verify, appears to show one of the tankers breaking in half and sinking in the middle of a heavy storm, with oil slicks clearly visible on the water.
According to TASS news agency, at least one crew member is believed to have died – and Russian authorities are investigating criminal negligence.
The incident took place in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from occupied Crimea.
Rescue and cleanup operations are underway with the participation of tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 personnel, TASS news agency reported.
“Today, due to a storm in the Black Sea, two tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 sank,” Russia’s federal agency for sea and inland water transport Rosmorrechflot wrote in a statement.
“On board was a crew of 15 and 14 people. The accident led to a spill of oil products,” the agency added.
Reuters news agency reported that both tankers have the capacity to carry about 4,200 tons of oil.
The full scope of the oil spill remains unclear.
