Philippines - The island province of Guimaras has declared a ’state of calamity’ after what

authorities think is the country's largest major oil spill.

528,360 gallons of industrial fuel is leaking from the tanker Solar I, which sank in rough seas in the Panay Gulf between the central islands of Panay and Guimaras, about 500km (311 miles) southeast of Manila. Two of the 20 crew are still missing.

Regional environment chief Julian Amador said that 1,128 hectares (2,787 acres) of mangroves in Nueva Valencia and another 26 hectares (64.25 acres) on an island marine reserve have been damaged. 24 hectares (59 acres) of seaweed farms were also contaminated. The oil was about 10cm (four inches) thick at the Taklong Island marine sanctuary.

Emergency food supplies have been distributed to residents of 11 coastal villages along 132km (82 miles) of shoreline where many families normally depended on fishing.

The local authorities have no way of reaching the tanker, which is more than 900m (2,953ft) underwater some 27km (16.8 miles) south of Guimaras. Officials have asked for equipment and specialist teams from Japan as well as a team from Indonesia to help manage the slick.

The international lobby group Greenpeace have urged the government to hold petroleum firm Petron and its partners ‘accountable’ for the disaster.