French prosecutors have called for a criminal investigation into the sinking of the Prestigeoil tanker off Spain six weeks ago.
Amid early signs of looming environmental damage, Brest prosecutor Mr Francois Nicot, who is in charge of monitoring pollution on France's Atlantic coast, said he has "asked the maritime police to open a criminal inquiry into the consequences of the pollution of France's coasts and water".
The inquiry will investigate the scale and the possible consequences of the pollution before drawing up a claim for compensation.
In a separate development, it emerged that oil blobs had claimed their first victims in French territory, as 150 birds were found covered with oil off the Aquitaine coast, according to the Society for Protection of Birds (LPO). A third of the creatures were already dead, it added in a statement.
Oil slicks from the Prestige, a Liberian tanker which foundered six weeks ago off Galicia in Northern Spain, were yesterday floating only 180 kilometres (110 miles) off the French coast.
Ecology Minister Ms Roselyne Bachelot warned the first major slicks would hit France's Gironde estuary as early as Sunday if current weather conditions persist.
AFP