Thai workers scramble to clean up oil spill

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities were working Wednesday to clean up an oil spill from a vessel that sunk southwest of Bangkok.

The oil slick had reached a fishermen's village and mangrove forest on the coast 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of the capital, said Arthit Boonyasophat, the provincial governor of Samut Sakhon.

But workers have already scooped up and cleared 75 percent of the 1,500 liters (400 gallons) of oil and are working to finish the cleanup in the Gulf of Thailand, Arthit said.

The boat capsized Monday about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) off the coast after water seeped into the engine room of the medium-sized boat, Arthit said, adding authorities were trying to salvage the vessel.

Last year, about 50,000 liters (13,200 gallons) of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Thailand after a pipeline leak, washing ashore on the resort island of Samet.