Mauritius scrambles to counter oil spill from grounded ship

Anxious residents of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius stuffed fabric sacks with sugar cane leaves Saturday to create makeshift oil spill barriers as tons of fuel leaking from a grounded ship put endangered wildlife in further peril.

The government has declared an environmental emergency and France said it was sending help from its nearby Reunion Island.

Mauritius said the ship, the MV Wakashio, was carrying nearly 4,000 tons of fuel.

Videos from the French news agency MU Press showed black oil in the turquoise sea just across the coast and residents and volunteers trying to stop the oil from reaching the soil.

Wildlife workers and volunteers ferried dozens of baby tortoises and rare plants from an island near the spill, Ile aux Aigrettes, to the mainland as fears grew that worsening weather on Sunday could tear the Japanese-owned ship apart along its cracked hull.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the spill “represents a danger” for the country of 1.3 million people that relies heavily on tourism and has been hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has restricted travel worldwide.

The country also has appealed to the United Nations for urgent aid, including experts in containing oil spills and environmental protection.

A police inquiry has been opened into possible negligence, the government said.

The Mauritius Marine Conservation Society and other local groups warned that the cleanup could take much longer than expected.