UAE's Ras Al Khaimah shuts all its beaches as oil from a tanker struck by Iran near Hormuz spreads

Umm Al Quwain had already closed its white-sand beaches as burning crude blackened the sea about 35 miles from Dubai. Satellite images show the slick stretching over 22 miles from the Panama-flagged Gem No 2. The tanker was hit on 9-10 October during a record wave of Iranian strikes on shipping. The UAE environment ministry insists the fumes pose no health risk.

On 19 October the leak looked far smaller, before it surged towards the coast.

Footage from the Gem No 2 shows its crew sprinting across the deck pulling on life jackets.

Residents in northern Dubai reported a powerful oily stench drifting inland.