An oil spill has polluted the coast around the Red Sea city of Ras Ghareb, the second such spill in the area in the past month.
Informed sources from the Red Sea governorate say the oil spill was noticed several days ago by Environment Ministry authorities, with an environmental emergency declared while officials sought to identify the source.
A clean-up operation started on Friday, with workers from the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and the oil pollution control center deployed to the site.
A committee from the regional branch of Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) in Hurghada and Red Sea protectorates said that the pollution is in the form of a long crude oil slick that had washed ashore from the Red Sea. They said the slick is 900 meters long four meters wide and that it might still spread along the coast.
The EEAA officials took a sample of the oil and send it the Suez branch or analysis. If they can identify its source, they will take legal measures.
Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy instructed urgent measures to prevent further instances of pollution along coastlines.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
