Oil spill closes tourist beach
Authorities in Thailand fear the entire tourist island of Koh Samet in Rayong will be affected by an oil spill from a damaged pipeline at the weekend.
The island’s Ao Phrao (Phrao Bay) has been closed to permit a cleanup of spilled crude oil that has washed ashore.
It is expected to take about 15 days to restore the polluted beach of Ao Phrao, according to Sumet Saithong, chief of the Laem Ya Samet Islands National Park.
Film from the floating crude oil has spread over eight kilometres west of Ao Phrao, on the western coast of Samet, and about 400 metres into the bay, he said.
Koh Samet, about three kilometres off the coast of Rayong, is a popular getaway for Bangkok residents. The island attracts about one million visitors a year, mostly on weekends.
Authorities said it would take some time to assess the environmental damage caused by the spill. However, the tourism industry has already felt some impact.
“The black waves have been rolling in since Sunday night and by yesterday morning the beach was all tainted with oil,” Kevin Wikul, a front-desk assistant at a resort in Ao Phrao, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
Ian Jarrett
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