Fuel spill in Mediterranean after ships collide near Corsica Pompeo cites progress made with Kim Jong Un on trip

PARIS >> Two merchant ships collided north of the French island of Corsica on Sunday, causing a 2.4-mile fuel spill in the Mediterranean Sea that French and Italian authorities are working to contain.

No one was injured in Sunday’s collision, but it smashed a hole of several yards long in the hull of one of the ships, causing the spill, according to a statement from the regional French maritime authority.

The spill created a trail of pollution 2½ miles long, heading away from Corsica to the northwest, toward the French and Italian mainland, the statement said.

A spokesman for the regional French maritime authority described the material as “propulsion fuel” without elaborating.

Two French ships were sent to the area and specialists were helicoptered in.

The Italian coast guard also sent an aircraft to monitor the operation and three ships to help contain the spill. SEOUL, SOUTHKOREA>> U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made unspecified progress Sunday toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons, though there was no immediate indication whether Pompeo had managed to arrange a much-anticipated second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.

Trump, tweeting from Washington, cited progress on agreements he made with Kim at their June meeting and said, “I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future.”

Arriving in Seoul after several hours in Pyongyang on his fourth visit to North Korea, Pompeo tweeted that he had a “good trip” and that he and Kim “continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore summit.” Trump and Kim held a historic summit there in June that resulted in a vague agreement for the North to denuclearize.