Click to play videoNew Delhi: At least eight San Francisco beaches closed on Thursday as officials tried to clean up 58,000 gallons of fuel that leaked into the San Francisco Bay from a damaged container ship.
"The oil spill in San Francisco Bay is a cause for grave concern by all who value the resources of our marvelous bay and Pacific coastline," Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives who represents San Francisco, said in a statement.
Nearly 58,000 gallons of fuel leaked and smeared the coastline after a container ship crashed into a tower supporting the San Fancisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Deputy director of California's Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Bud Leland told Reuters the spill was the worst in the San Francisco Bay since his office came into existence in 1991. He said it would take several weeks to complete the cleanup.
The spill also reached the famed former prison island of Alcatraz and as far north as Marin County.
The Coast Guard said 200 people were working on the cleanup and had recovered about 9,500 gallons of oil. Yet the pace of cleanup slowed as tides spread the fuel over a larger area.
So far six dead birds and more than 25 alive, who were found coated with oil, have been recovered from the beaches. People near the spill on Wednesday also reported headache and nausea.
The coast guard is investigating the cause of the accident.
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