Vietnam sends soldiers to clean up tanker oil spill

 

  

Vietnam dispatched soldiers on Saturday to clean up beaches polluted by oil spilling from a capsized tanker, as authorities recovered the bodies of two sailors who died in the accident.

 

The bodies of 11 other sailors missing since the vessel capsized six days ago have been located and would be recovered on Saturday, said Trinh Vu Anh, an official at the government’s oil spill response agency.

 

Oil spilling through the ship’s ventilation system has polluted dozens of kilometers (miles) of coastline in Ba Ria Vung Tau province, 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

 

“We have mobilised soldiers and local people for cleanup,” Anh said, “But it is lucky that most of the oil remains aboard.”

 

The remaining oil from the tanker would be pumped after the corpses were removed from the vessel and brought to land, Anh said.

 

The tanker, which capsized Sunday, was transporting 1,500 metric tons (1,700 tons) of diesel from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang.

 

The cause of the accident was being investigated.  (AP)