This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7089317.stm

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Russian oil tanker splits in half Russian oil tanker splits in half
(about 1 hour later)
A Russian oil tanker has split in half during a severe storm near the Black Sea, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil. A Russian oil tanker has split in half during a severe storm near the Black Sea, spilling around 1,300 tonnes of fuel oil.
A Russian official told the Reuters news agency that it was a "very serious environmental disaster", which would take years to solve. A Russian official quoted by the Reuters news agency said it was a "very serious environmental disaster", which would take years to solve.
The vessel was at the Kerch Strait between the Azov and Black Seas when it got into difficulty on Sunday morning.The vessel was at the Kerch Strait between the Azov and Black Seas when it got into difficulty on Sunday morning.
Efforts to rescue the 13 crew are being hampered by harsh weather conditions.Efforts to rescue the 13 crew are being hampered by harsh weather conditions.
The oil tanker, reportedly owned by Russian firm Volganeft, was at anchor when its stern and rear tore apart in the storm, officials said.
'Sinking to seabed'
"This problem may take a few years to solve. Fuel oil is a heavy substance and it is now sinking to the seabed," said an official from Russia's state environmental protection agency Rosprirodnadzor.
"This is a very serious environmental disaster," Reuters quoted him as telling Russia's state-run Vesti-24 channel.
The accident is reported to have happened in the waters of Ukraine at the strait which divides that country and Russia.
The tanker was thought to have been carrying fuel oil from the southern Russian city of Samara on the Volga River to a port in Ukraine.