Oil spill in Kerch Strait after two Russian oil tankers seriously damaged in storm

MOSCOW (AP) — At least one person has died after two Russian oil tankers took heavy storm damage in the Kerch Strait, spilling oil and sparking an emergency rescue operation, Russian officials told state news outlets. The Volgoneft-212 tanker, with a crew of 13 and a cargo of fuel oil, ran aground Sunday and had its bow torn away, the Tass news agency reported, citing the country’s Emergency Situations Ministry. A second tanker, the Volgoneft 239, was also damaged in the storm and left adrift. The Kerch Strait separates the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia and is an important global shipping route, providing passage from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.