Oil spill from capsized barge near Tobago soils beaches hundreds of miles away

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities say an offshore oil spill that led Trinidad and Tobago to declare a national emergency earlier this month has reached the shores of the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire hundreds of miles away. It’s the first sign of how far the leaked oil has traveled. Tobagonian officials said Wednesday that a minimum of 420,000 gallons of oil mixed with water have been vacuumed from where a barge capsized. It is the first public estimate on the size of the spill. But officials warned the number is likely larger since it does not include oil picked up with sand and sargassum. A preliminary probe found the barge was being tugged to Guyana when it overturned off Tobago.