The condition of the MV Wakashio was worsening early on Saturday and it split by the afternoon, the Mauritius National Crisis Committee said.

The MV Wakashio has spilled 1,000 tons of its cargo of 4,000 tons of oil into the sea, fouling the coastline of Mauritius, including a protected wetlands area.

The Japanese ship, MV Wakashio, ran aground on a coral reef on July 25, cracked two weeks later and spilled an estimated 1,000 tons of oil into the Indian Ocean.