An oil tanker cracks its hull during a storm, allowing oil to leak through a gash in its side onto the Spanish coastline. BBC News Interactive provides coverage and analysis of the environmental and economic impact of the disaster.
Tuesday 3rd December
Many of the poisoned creatures will not survive
An initial survey of the sunken oil tanker Prestige reveals no fresh leaks of fuel. A mini submarine is continuing to scour the site of the wreck at a depth of more than three kilometres (two miles).
Monday 2nd December
King Juan Carlos of Spain inspects the damage caused by oil from the tanker. Meanwhile the crew of a mini submarine has descended to the seabed to see if the wreck of the tanker is still leaking oil.
Sunday 1st December
Fierce winds push a huge new oil slick from the sunken tanker towards the coast. However it is not clear how the slick will behave on reaching the continental shelf just off shore, where currents are unpredictable.
Thursday 21st November
Poor weather continues to hamper efforts to stop oil from the sunken tanker causing more environmental damage and could be pushing slicks closer to the coast.
Wednesday 20th November
Bad weather hampers efforts to tackle the huge slick that the Prestige has left behind. However volunteers are still racing to rescue sea birds and clear the black sludge covering Galicia's coastline.
Tuesday 19th November
Authorities announce that the ship has split in two, and salvage experts say it will not be long before she begins to sink. They say they hope much of the oil will go down with the tanker.
The Prestige sinks, her back broken by rough seas. A salvage team struggled for six days to save the vessel. It is thought that over 70,000 metric tons of fuel is now underwater.
Monday 18th November
Questions are raised over whether more could have been done to control the effects of the slick after fishermen complain of the threat to their livelihood, and ecologists warn of impending disaster for the area's wildlife.
Saturday 16th November
Authorities in Spain say oil leaking from the tanker has begun washing up on parts of the Galician coast. So far, more than 1500 tons of oil has spilled from the tanker. Floating barriers are put in place.
Thursday 14th November
The oil tanker Prestige, on its way from Latvia to Gibraltar, encounters violent storms off the Spanish coast and starts leaking oil. Crew workers are rescued in stormy seas.