Thai province declares emergency as oil slick hits beach
ABC News
The governor of a province in eastern Thailand has declared a state of emergency after an oil slick washed up on a sand beach, shutting down restaurants and shops in a setback for the pandemic-hit tourism industry
BANGKOK -- The governor of a province in eastern Thailand on Saturday declared a state of emergency after an oil slick washed up on a sand beach, shutting down restaurants and shops in a setback for the pandemic-hit tourism industry.
Some 20-50 tons of oil are estimated to have leaked Tuesday night in the Gulf of Thailand from an undersea hose used to load tankers at an offshore mooring point owned by the Star Petroleum Refining Co.
The leak was stopped within hours, the company said, but efforts to keep an oil slick from reaching the Mae Ramphueng beach in Rayong province southeast of Bangkok were unsuccessful, and some oil began spilling onto the sand there on Saturday morning.
A major part of the slick remains at sea and there are concerns it may hit Koh Samet, a popular tourist island that's just beginning to recover from the coronavirus pandemic slump along with the rest of the country.
