Damage to the boat has since caused contaminating debris to leak into the area, and photos circulating on social media appear to show thick, sticky oils covering the water and the ground.
On Friday, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of environmental distress. Mauritius is located next to the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, and Jugnauth also called on French President Emmanuel Macron for help on Twitter.
On Saturday, Macron said France was deploying Reunion Island teams and equipment.
Happy Khambule, manager of senior climate and energy campaign at Greenpeace Africa, warned that the bulk carrier was “leaking tons of diesel and oil into the ocean”, threatening the wildlife of the area.
Younous Omarjee, a member of the European Parliament from Reunion Island, told CNN that international cooperation was needed to tackle the ‘ecological disaster’.
“This is a serious environmental crisis and we are not yet aware of all the consequences it could have. It is also terrible for Mauritius, whose economy is based on tourism and has already been badly affected by the pandemic,” he told CNN.
CNN’s Martin Goillandeau and Paul P. Murphy contributed reporting.
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