Oil slick threatens tourist beaches in India's Goa

An oil slick from a cargo ship that sank off India's coast is threatening popular tourist beaches in the southern resort state of Goa, environmentalists said on Tuesday.

Oil patches have begun washing up on the beaches after the Panama-registered MV Ocean Seraya broke in two on Monday, a week after it ran aground about five km (three miles) off the coast of the neighbouring Karnataka state.

A 9-km (6-mile) wide oil slick is spreading northwards towards Goa pushed by strong winds and choppy seas due to the annual monsoon rains.