Mystery shipwreck causes disastrous oil spill off Trinidad and Tobago

Emergency workers in Trinidad and Tobago are scrambling to clean up a massive oil spill after a mystery vessel ran aground near the Caribbean island, casting a pall over Carnival tourism.
Prime Minister Keith Rowley on Sunday declared a national emergency as oil leaking from the vessel affected some 15km (nearly 10 miles) of coastline.
“Cleaning and restoration can only begin as soon as we have the situation under control. Right now, the situation is not under control,” Rowley told journalists.
Environmental officials said the spill has damaged a reef and Atlantic beaches, a dire sign for the islands’ resorts and hotels that are the lifeline of the local economy during the Carnival season.
The spill comes at the height of the Carnival, threatening the tourist business that is crucial to the dual-island nation’s economy.
Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reports.
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[@nicholasmohammed5164]

Nothing is never known here, the guns coming in, the drugs, the corruption, nothing

[@Nick-xu2hh]

How does an unknown vessel, even worse if it was being towed, end up that close to the shoreline without being detected by the Coast Guard?

[@CH-pt8fz]

Its probably a back handed deal thats gone wrong and these poor people are left to clear up this environmental disaster.

[@erinbyrnes5921]

A ghost ship capsizes out of nowhere with no one on board and no distress signals?

[@speaktruth1350]

Rich enough to buy that much oil, feckless enough to capsize it, conscienceless enough to flee accountability... sounds pretty American to me.

[@user-ow3xu3go1g]

That is crazy and their waters are so clear, a terrible shame, hope it can be cleaned up.

[@baldeobeharry3285]

Pirates ah d Caribbean 😂

[@tacion5869]

It was obviously plotted like come on.... why??? for what purpose ??? mankind is so Destructive

[@RauschSilverstein]

Looks to be ON PURPOSE

[@DeGeneral876]

Our beaches will never be the same!

[@onicad]

There is more to this story ...we in Tobago not stupid

[@i382srael]

So where is the oil?

[@davehenderson2353]

That NOT my ship as I'm not paying for the cleaner 😂

[@solomonkane5978]

where is the crew?

[@silentstormwtergrl]

Yall pray for me right now im stuck at home because the oil leak is on the road 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@jlmhamedia]

My home country, hope the government deal with this matter quickly

[@jeffreydookwah7056]

You can see that rowley is lieing.

[@TheBois434]

its a setup

[@kesk8963]

This is understandable that no one knew anything. It is carnival and the coast guard like much of the public servants/government workers were busy partying.

[@Sheldon-bb6ru]

Rowley is lying as usual