India has sent 30 tonnes of technical equipment and a team of specialists on board an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft to Mauritius to help local authorities deal with an environmental crisis after an oil spill from a Japanese ship, a government official said on Sunday. A 10-member Indian Coast Guard (ICG) team specialising in containing oil spills has also been deployed to Mauritius, a statement by the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. India has also sent Ayurvedic medicines and a medical team as part of the assistance to help it in dealing with the coronavirus crisis. The carrier split on Saturday, and the oil spill spread over a vast area of endangered corals, fish, and other marine life in what some scientists called the country`s worst ecological disaster. Scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unfolding, but the damage could affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy for decades.

Source: dna August 16, 2020 11:15 UTC