Oil slick hits coral island

Oil slick hits coral island

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (AFP): Malaysian officials were
yesterday trying to ascertain the ecological damage wreaked by an
oil slick on a coral island, a well-known divers' haven, off the
eastern state of Sabah.

The Department of Environment (DOE) said they were first
alerted on Saturday by divers, who spotted congealed strips of
oil being washed ashore on the southern beaches on Sipadan
island, just off Sabah's eastern coast.

"Investigations by our officials found no more traces (of the
slick) on Monday," Mohd Sayuti, director of Sabah's DOE, told
AFP.

Sipadan is known among serious divers as having some of the
most spectacular corals in the region and is also a bird
sanctuary.