Oil leaking from a Philippine tanker that sank southwest of the capital has prompted at least seven coastal towns to ban fishing and swimming as authorities scramble to contain the spill, officials said Thursday.
The MT Princess Empress, which was carrying 20 crewmembers and a cargo of about 800,000 liters (210,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil, sank Tuesday at Balingawan point off Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro province after its engine overheated while traveling to central Iloilo province, the Philippine coast guard said.
A passing foreign cargo ship rescued the crew and took them to shore, coast guard officials said.
The oil spill affected a stretch of sea about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide off Naujan town by Wednesday, according to the coast guard….