An oil spill from Syria's largest refinery has extended over the Mediterranean Sea. According to Cypriot officials, it might hit the island of Cyprus by Wednesday.

According to Syrian authorities, a tank containing 15,000 tons of gasoline has been leaking since August 23.

According to satellite photos analysis, the oil spill was larger than previously thought, covering an area roughly the size of New York City.

An oil slick has formed 7 kilometers (4 miles) off the coast of Cyprus and is expected to reach the Apostolos Andreas Cape "within the next 24 hours."

The Cypriot Department of Fisheries and Marine Research has stated that it is willing to assist in the cleanup of the spill.

Apostolos Andreas Cape is located in the split island's Turkish-controlled north and is approximately 130 kilometers (nearly 80 miles) west of Syria's Baniyas.

Photos have been circulating on social media for more than a week of an oil slick along the coasts of Syria's Baniyas and Jableh, with residents warning of possible harm to marine life.

 

A resident in Baniyas, who spoke to CNN under the condition of anonymity, much of the coast had been polluted.

"People did not need this, it is already hard to make a living here and this certainly affected the lives of many families and made them lose their income," the resident said.

"The government only sent teams with sponges and water hoses; they do not have the capacity to deal with this.... you cannot clean the sea with sponges," the resident added.

Turkey, which shares a border and coastline with Syria, has also been drawn in to contain the spill.

"We are taking the necessary measures by mobilizing our resources to stop any chances of the spill turning into an environmental disaster," Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told the state-run Anadolu news agency.