Thai province declares emergency as oil slick hits beach

Workers carry out a clean-up operation on Mae Ramphueng Beach (AP)

The governor of a province in eastern Thailand has declared a state of emergency after an oil slick washed up on a sand beach, shutting down restaurants and shops in a setback for the pandemic-hit tourism industry.

Some 20-50 tonnes of oil was estimated to have leaked on Tuesday night in the Gulf of Thailand from an undersea hose used to load tankers at an offshore mooring point owned by Star Petroleum Refining.