Fertiliser cargo ship breaks up off French coast

An aerial view show waves which break against a Spanish cargo ship carrying fertiliser, broken in two, off the beach in Anglet on the Atlantic Coast of France, February 5, 2014. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

ANGLET, France (Reuters) - A Spanish cargo ship carrying fertiliser broke in two on Wednesday after hitting a sea wall off the south-western coast of France in high winds and was leaking some fuel into the water, French officials said.

Two helicopters lifted a dozen crew members to safety, said Jean Espilondo, the mayor of Anglet, a town near the French border with Spain that is close to the scene of the incident.