Two oil tankers carrying nearly 9,000 metric tons of mazut fuel were damaged by a storm, broke in half, sunk and caused oil spills in Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea and Russia.

Two Russian cargo ships have sunk in the area of the Kerch Strait off the coast of Crimea annexed by the Russian Federation. This was reported by the Mash Telegram channel on Sunday, December 15. Earlier Russian news agencies with reference to the emergency services reported that two tankers were in distress.

Another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said. At least one person was killed.