TALLINN, February 1 (RIA Novosti, Nikolai Adashkevich) - Estonian President Arnold Ruutel and Environment Minister Villu Reiljan will visit the Nova region in the eastern part of the country Wednesday where a massive oil spill was reported in the Gulf of Finland.
The president will be accompanied by senior officials from the Border Protection Service, the Emergencies Department, and the Environmental Inspectorate.
The oil spill was detected over the weekend and has turned out to be more serious than originally thought, having already killed hundreds of birds.
Several thousand more birds have been covered in oil and are, therefore, expected to die.
According to the Estonian Waterways Department, more than 100 ships passed through the area around the time the oil spill presumably occurred.
The Environmental Inspectorate has begun criminal proceedings.
