Oil disaster in the Black Sea

People watch a ship thrown on to the rocks by a fierce storm in the Kerch Strait, linking the Black and Azov Seas. Seventeen ships were reported to be in trouble in the region Photograph: AP

Sea shore covered with oil Photograph: Pavel Shevtsov/EPA

The stricken ship Vera Voloshina Photograph: AP

A rescuer reaches the Russian-owned Vera Voloshina, a cargo ship that ran aground in the Black Sea. The ferocious storm sank five other ships Photograph: AFP

Rescuers help a colleague after he arrvies back from the Vera Voloshina cargo ship Photograph: AFP

A dying bird covered in oil on the shore in Port Kavkaz Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP

Ships in stormy waters not far from the Russian port of Kavkaz. Several ships ran aground and the Russian oil tanker Volganeft-139 spilled at least half of its 4,000-tonne cargo Photograph: Pavel Shevtsov/EPA

A Russian oil tanker seen in a storm in the Strait of Kerch. A different tanker, the Volganeft-139, split nearly half of its load of oil into the straits Photograph: Vladimir Anosov/AP

Another dying bird Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP

Oil covers the beach on the Black Sea shore Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP

A dead bird covered in oil Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP