Mauritius has declared an environmental emergency after more than 1,000 tonnes of oil is feared to have leaked into the ocean from a ship.
Photos show how the liquid has devastated the island, which is also a popular honeymoon resort, by spreading across the crystal clear waters near the coast.
Residents have been stuffing fabric sacks with sugar cane leaves to create makeshift oil spill barriers, while wildlife workers and volunteers ferried dozens of baby tortoises and rare plants from away the disaster.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the spill "represents a danger" for the country of some 1.3 million people already suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.
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