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South Korean officials said they have made progress in cleaning up the country's worst oil spill but residents are worried about ruined livelihoods and conservationists say damage will last for years.
More than 10,000 area residents, soldiers and volunteers have been working to clean blackened beaches about 150km southwest of Seoul and remove oil that started washing ashore after a barge carrying a crane punched holes in a tanker on Friday, triggering a 10,500-tonne leak of crude oil.
Local officials said oil has been removed from about 70 per cent of Mallipo beach, one of the hardest hit areas, but other beaches are coated with crude some 10cm deep. Meanwhile the air has been fouled with the stench of sulphur.
- Reuters
