The spill began on December 15, when two ageing Russian tankers were caught in a storm off the Kerch Strait linking Crimea to southern Russia. One sank and the other ran aground, pouring around 2,400 tonnes of a heavy fuel oil called mazut into the surrounding waters.
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In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, rescuers work to clean up tons of fuel oil that spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. Image- AP
Thirty-two dolphins have died since fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, an animal rescue group said Sunday.
Russia’s Delfa centre, which rescues and provides rehabilitation for dolphins, said it had recorded 61 dead cetaceans since the incident, 32 of whom “most likely” died due to the spill.
Cetaceans are a type of aquatic mammal that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
“Judging by the condition of the bodies, most likely the bulk of these cetaceans died in the first 10 days after the disaster,” it said.
It said most of those killed were “Azov” dolphins – a type of harbour porpoise that look similar to dolphins but are more closely related to belugas and narwhals.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said Sunday that over 96,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been removed by officials and volunteers along the shoreline of the Krasnodar region’s Anapa and Temryuk districts.
Russia-appointed officials in Moscow-occupied Crimea announced a regional emergency on Saturday a