Oil spill on Lebanese coast

‘Damage is done’ to Lebanon coast. Lebanon’s coastline could take up to 10 years to recover from a massive oil spill, the nation’s environment minister has said.

Yacoub Sarraf said it was impossible to tackle the problem while the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel continued.

Marine experts have warned the spill could pose a cancer risk to people living in the affected areas.

The oil slick caused by Israeli bombing of a power station now covers 120km (75 miles) of the region’s coasts. [BBC News]

Besides the immediate health problems, this is also a serious problem for Lebanon’s future (if its much more powerful neighbors allow it to have one), because tourists going to beaches is a major part of the Lebanese economy.