Oil spill threatens Manila

The Philippines is “racing against time” to contain an oil spill that threatens to become the biggest in the country’s history, its coast guard said. A ship carrying nearly 400,000 gallons of industrial fuel sank just off Manila’s coast on Thursday, forming a nearly three-mile long oil slick.

Authorities are struggling to stop the spill from spreading as they battle fierce winds and heavy rain intensified by the passing of Typhoon Gaemi. Officials warned of the “big danger” that the spill could reach the capital. The incident drew comparisons to last year’s oil spill from a Philippine tanker, which took three months to contain and severely damaged coral reefs and mangroves, affecting tens of thousands of fishermen.