...The MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on 25 July with 4,000 tonnes of the fuel, causing an ecological emergency. Most of the fuel had already been pumped out, officials said, but on Saturday the ship's condition worsened..."At around 4.30pm [12:30 GMT], a major detachment of the vessel's forward section was observed," the Mauritius National Crisis Committee said in a statement on Saturday. About 90 tonnes of the fuel were believed to be still on board when the vessel split...Mauritius has said it will seek compensation for the leak from "the owner and the insurer". Japanese firm Nagashiki Shipping has pledged to respond to requests for compensation...

Greenpeace Africa has warned that "thousands" of animal species were "at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius's economy, food security and health". An oceanographer and environmental engineer in Mauritius, Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, told the BBC that local residents were now "breathing heavy vapours of oil"...