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French inquiry into oil spill
PARIS, France (CNN) -- French prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation into the sinking of the Prestige as oil from the tanker began washing up on the nation's beaches. Tar-like globs of fuel oil are spread along the beaches of Biscarosse and Mimizan in Aquitaine in southwestern France. The army is helping maritime and environment workers clean up the coast. President Jacques Chirac's office said on Thursday: "The pollution that now affects the French coast must be subject to a judicial inquiry so that those responsible for this ecological catastrophe are found and punished." About 100 small slicks measuring 10-metres wide had been spotted drifting towards the Landes region near Bordeaux for several days, but strong winds finally pushed them onto a five-kilometre stretch of shore on Wednesday. Spanish media estimated the cluster of slicks out at sea covered an area the size of New York City. The Prestige sank after splitting in two in heavy weather about 200 kilometres (130 miles) off the northwest Spanish coast in November. It continued to spew out its 77,000-tonne cargo of fuel oil after coming to rest about three miles down on the sea bed. A French mini-submarine, Nautile, has since plugged some of the cracks. A quarter of its cargo is estimated to have leaked to the surface, at a rate of 100 tonnes a day, mainly hitting the fishing villages off Galicia in Spain. Once rough seas off the coast subside, seven ships will be deployed to assist with the clean up. Officials are trying to minimise the economic damage caused by the oil, which has already devastated the shell fish areas off northwestern Spain. The beaches of southwestern France are a popular tourist destination.
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