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Official: Australian oil spill worse than thought

This is released just 4 hour ago:

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Ten times more oil than originally thought leaked from a ship to blacken miles of white sand beaches along Australia’s northeast coast, a government official said Saturday.

Authorities declared a disaster zone along 37 miles (60 kilometers) of some of Australia’s most popular beaches in Queensland state after they were covered in a blanket of heavy fuel oil that spilled from a ship hit by rough seas on Wednesday.

Queensland state Deputy Premier Paul Lucas told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Saturday that officials originally thought between 5,300 and 7,900 gallons (20,000 and 30,000 liters) of oil had leaked from the ship. Lucas said it is “now apparent” that the amount of oil spilled was around 60,700 gallons (230,000 liters). He did not explain how he arrived at that estimate or offer any further details.

rest of article found here.