Two Russian oil tankers have been severely damaged in the Black Sea during a powerful storm, leading to a major oil spill and the death of at least one crew member, according to Russian authorities.
Images shared by the Southern Transport Prosecutor's Office showed one of the oil tankers, the Volgoneft-212, split in half and sinking, with oil stains visible in the turbulent waters.
The second tanker, Volgoneft-239, was reported to be adrift after sustaining damage.
The incident occurred in the Kerch Strait, a vital waterway separating Russia from the occupied Crimean peninsula.
President Vladimir Putin has tasked Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev with leading a task force to address the crisis, Russian media reported.
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into possible negligence, the TASS news agency confirmed.
A rescue and cleanup operation is underway involving tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 people.
The federal sea and river transport agency Rosmorrechflot confirmed that the two tankers carried crews of 15 and 14 people respectively and had a combined capacity of approximately 8,400 tons of petroleum products.
“The accident caused a spill of oil products,” Rosmorrechflot said in a statement, without providing an estimate of the volume spilled.
The Kerch Strait has witnessed similar disasters in the past. In 2007, another Volgoneft tanker, the Volgoneft-139, split in half during a storm, spilling more than 1,000 tons of oil.