Russian Minister visits Black Sea beaches after oil spill

Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations publishes images of its Minister Alexander Kurenkov inspecting the clean-up of oil on the beaches of the Black Sea in Anapa in southern Russia, following an oil spill which occured on December 15.

The spill, which Russia on Thursday declared a federal emergency, was caused by two Russian oil tankers being hit by a storm in the Kerch Strait, with one sinking and the other running aground. Thousands of volunteers were mobilized to remove oil-sogged sand from nearby beaches.