UAE hit by a massive oil slick

Officials in the United Arab Emirates have been giving more details about the oil spillage off the northern coast.

They say around four-thousand tons of crude oil have leaked from a barge that ran aground in high winds: the area covered by oil is vast.

The BBC correspondent in Dubai says the slick has triggered a national effort to limit the damage.

He says the region of Umm Al Quaiwain has been worst affected, with the tourist industry and marine life under threat.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service