Egyptian authorities said today that oil spill with an area of three miles has been discovered in the Balaeem region in the Suez Gulf, off the coast of South Sinai.
Ahmed Sheta, head of the environment disasters department of the Environment Ministry, said investigations are being carried out and legal action will be taken against those who caused it.
Sheta said helicopters combing the area ascertained the spill's size, adding that it has been cleaned up by oil companies operating in the region.
News reports, meanwhile, attributed the spill to an oil well leak. The same reports said the spill had a length of 18km and a width of several hundred meters.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
