‘An ecological disaster’: Russia deals with aftermath of massive fuel oil spill

Russian officials have warned of severe environmental damage after tons of fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, near Moscow-occupied Crimea.

Local news reports say that, from Wednesday, more than 10,000 people - mostly volunteers - raced to rescue wildlife and remove vast amounts of sand saturated with mazut, a heavy, low-quality oil product.

Last week, authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region announced a region-wide emergency as the fuel oil continued washing up on the coastline.

It came from one tanker that ran aground 10 days ago and another which was left damaged and adrift in the middle of December.

The declaration came several days after Russian President Vladimir Putin called the oil spill an “ecological disaster.”

On Wednesday, Krasnodar officials said the oil kept on surfacing on the beaches of Anapa, a popular local resort.

That same day Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that more than 71,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been removed along 56 kilometres of shoreline since the original spill.

Towards the end of December, the ministry estimated that up to 200,000 tons in total may have been contaminated.

Some of the Russian media, who are critical of the Kremlin, claimed that Russian volunteers had said that state support has been inadequate.

Some of those grappling with the consequences of the spill said they experienced headaches, nausea and vomiting after spending hours inhaling toxic fumes. They also complained of insufficient equipment and protective measures.

Others have called for international specialists to be sent in, citing the scale of the spill and the likely extent of the impact.

In photos circulating on social