One of the beaches on Thailand 's Koh Samet island has turned black from Saturday 's oil spill . Due to its beautiful beaches and proximity to Bangkok -- the travel time from the capital is a little less than four hours by bus and then boat -- the island has long been a popular Thai weekend destination . The beach is popular with tourists and locals alike, but it was closed to visitors after a small leak in an underwater pipe caused by the explosion that occurred at around noon local time ( 9am UK Approximately 5,000 liters of oil have washed up on the island . Spill `` may be worse than first thought , '' says opposition MP , Greenpeace .
One of the beaches on Thailand 's Koh Samet island has turned black from Saturday 's oil spill . The beach is popular with tourists and locals alike, but it was closed to visitors after a small leak in an underwater pipe caused by the explosion that occurred at around noon local time ( 9am UK Approximately 5,000 liters of oil have washed up on the island . Spill `` may be worse than first thought , '' says opposition MP , Greenpeace .