A Russian tanker carrying more than 4,000 tonnes of oil products has sunk in the Black Sea amid stormy conditions while a second has run aground, threatening an ecological disaster.
The cargo ship Volgoneft-212 snapped in half on Sunday after being hit by a large wave. Video showed its bow end sticking vertically out of the water. The boat got into difficulties off the east coast of occupied Crimea, 5 miles (8km) from the Kerch strait, Russian media reported.
Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety violations after at least one person was killed when the 136-metre tanker, which had 15 people on board, went down.
The tanker was carrying 4,300 tonnes of low-grade heavy fuel oil, known as mazut. Russia’s emergency service launched a rescue operation involving tugboats and a Mil Mi-8 helicopter. Twelve other people were evacuated, eleven of whom were taken to hospital, with two in a serious condition, the Tass news agency quoted Alexei Kuznetsov, an aide to the health minister, as saying.
