MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The volume of sand and soil contaminated after the oil spill from the wreck of two tankers in the Kerch Strait area of the Black Sea may rise up to 200,000 tons, Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov said on Monday.

"According to the forecasts [regarding] fuel that will be carried ashore, the quantity of oil-contaminated soil may increase to 200,000 tons," Kozlov said at a meeting in Anapa, partly broadcast by the Zvezda TV channel. The minister added that 14,000 tons of polluted sand and soil have already been gathered and removed from the coast.

On December 15, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers sank in the Kerch Strait area of the Black Sea amid a storm. One sailor died, and the rest were evacuated. According to emergency services, the tankers were carrying about 9,200 tons of fuel oil. An oil spill occurred in the Black Sea as a result of the accident, and clean-up operations are underway.

Specialists have surveyed 130 kilometers of the coastline in the Krasnodar Region. The leaked fuel mostly gathered at the coast near Anapa and Temryuksky district of Krasnodar Region. Some 10.7 kilometers have already been cleaned. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the operation involves more than 5,000 rescuers and volunteers. The administration of the Krasnodar Region reported that the number of equipment units was doubled, amounting to 200 units.