Fatal Black Sea storm sinks five Russian ships, sailors found dead

During the storm, waves reached as high as 20 ft. with hurricane-like winds reaching 78 mph. As many as 10 ships were either sunk or ran aground during the storm. An oil tanker split in half causing more than 1,000 tons of fuel oil to leak into the Strait of Kerch. All crew of the tanker was rescued.

Three cargo ships carrying more than 2,000 tons of sulphur also sank in the strait. A freighter carrying scrap iron sank near the Crimean Peninsula. Several other ships carrying cargo were run aground.

A spokesman for Ecodefence, Vladmir Slivayak, said the environment would be effected for the next decade. He said the oil could be easily cleaned up if it stays on the surface of the water. “It’s more or less possible to clean up our coast and clean the oil which you can see on the water,” he said. “But if it goes down, it’s nearly impossible to clean it from the bottom. So from my point of view, the consequences for the marine environment will last for the next decade.”

The Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet was already cleaning up the oil. The oil will contaminate wildlife, affecting the fishing industry.

To view more news related to World events please go to:  

http://news.finditt.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=11&wcat=1