Thai beach declared disaster area after oil spill

Workers clean oil spills caused by a leak from an undersea pipeline 20 km (12.4 miles) off Thailand's eastern coast at Mae Ramphueng beach in Rayong province, Thailand, January 29, 2022. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A beach in eastern Thailand was declared a disaster area on Saturday as oil leaking from an underwater pipeline in the Gulf of Thailand continued to wash ashore and blacken the sand.

The leak from the pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC) started late on Tuesday and was brought under control https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-cleanup-underway-after-oil-spill-off-eastern-coast-2022-01-26 a day later after spilling an estimated 50,000 litres (13,209 gallons) of oil into the ocean 20 km (12 miles) from the country's industrialised eastern seaboard.