Oil spill blackens central Vietnam tourist beaches

HANOI, Feb 1 (Reuters) An oil spill has blackened some of central Vietnam's most popular beach resorts, but the cause is not yet known, government officials said today.

They said residents were helping clean up the oil, which was found along a 10-km (6-mile) stretch of coastline near the ancient town of Hoi An, a popular tourist spot recognised as a UNESCO heritage site.

''We have not identified the source and as far as we know the investigation is ongoing,'' an official at the search and rescue centre said by telephone from the nearby city of Danang.

Newspaper reports quoted Le Minh Anh, deputy head of the Quang Nam province People's Committee, as saying an Indonesian vessel taking a barge with timber cargo to China got stuck in waters near Cu Lao Cham island, off Hoi An, on January 9.

He said the barge had a crack and was leaking oil.

Anh said the vessel has been detained under Vietnamese law, which allows for a vessel to be held pending compensation from the owner.

REUTERS AKJ BD1941