Volunteers Cleaning Oil Spill At Israeli Shoreline Hospitalized With Poisoning - Reports

Several volunteers among those who participated in the campaign to clean Israel's beaches from oil after a massive spill in the Mediterranean Sea were subsequently hospitalized with signs of poisoning, media reported on Saturday

TEL AVIV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2021) Several volunteers among those who participated in the campaign to clean Israel's beaches from oil after a massive spill in the Mediterranean Sea were subsequently hospitalized with signs of poisoning, media reported on Saturday.

According to Israel's Channel 12, the hospitalized volunteers fell ill due to inhaling toxic fumes.

A strong storm, raging some 100 miles off the Israeli coast since the mid-week, left the coastline segment from Rosh HaNikra to Ashkelon contaminated with oil products.

The cause of the ecological disaster has yet to be established, but experts suggest that due to strong waves in the sea, an oil tanker could have overturned.

The oil spill has led to the death of marine animals, including a 33-foot whale, whose body washed up on a beach in Israel's south on Thursday.

The Israeli authorities have banned swimming and surfing until further notice, while the city of Herzliya has declared an environmental emergency.