Two Russian tankers run aground, kyiv accuses Moscow of recklessness
Two Russian oil tankers ran aground Sunday during a storm near annexed Crimea. The accident caused the death of a sailor and a fuel leak into the sea, authorities said. The two tankers are in the Kerch Strait, which connects Russia to Ukrainian Crimea annexed by Moscow.
The evacuation of the 14 sailors still on board the second ship was suspended due to bad weather, the emergency services announced in the evening. According to a source with the authorities, cited by the TASS press agency, the two ships were transporting a total of nearly 9,000 tonnes of fuel oil. President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a working group to “eliminate” this pollution at sea, the Kremlin announced.
The cause of this double grounding has not yet been clarified but two investigations have been opened for “violation of safety rules”. Ukrainian authorities denounce Russia’s recklessness. “These are old Russian tankers. We cannot go to sea in such a storm. The Russians violated operating rules. The result is an accident,” said Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy.
