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New Delhi, India – It was on August 7, when two Panamanian cargo ships collided off the Mumbai coast causing an oil spill from one of the two vessels that is threatening the Mumbai coast.

Indian Coast Guard officials said no casualties were reported to the 33 crew members who were rescued after the incident.

According to Coast Guard officials, the outbound merchant vessel from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), collided with MV Khalijia-III, five nautical miles from the shores at 9:50 am when the latter was sailing towards Mumbai Port Trust (MPT), off Mumbai harbour, for berthing.

A senior Coast Guard official said on condition of that the spill was “significant” but claimed the situation was “under control”. However, shipping lanes off India’s commercial hub Mumbai may be closed for another two days because of the oil spill.

The collision left the Panamanian vessel tilting in the water, although it has now been stabilized with no more oil leaking from containers on its deck, according to S.S. Dasila, an Indian coast guard commandant.

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Continue reading »]]> A powerful earthquake has struck south-western Panama, close to the border with Costa Rica, says the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake was reported with a magnitude of 6.2 and happened at a depth of 48.2km (30 miles), monitors said.

The epicentre was close to the Pacific coast and 55km (35 miles) west of David, Panama’s third-largest city and home to 125,000 people.

There have been no reports of any injuries of casualties, says the USGS.

People close to the quake contacted local radio stations in Panama to say they had felt strong aftershocks, reported Reuters.

The news agency also reported that the tremors were felt in the Costa Rican capital San Jose, but that authorities there had received no reports of damage.

Panama is located on the Pacific Ring, which forms a belt of seismic activity along the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

A quake measuring 6.1 struck close to David in January this year.

BBC NEWS