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Added on the 23/01/2022 15:25:03 - Copyright : AFP EN
Brazil is in the midst of the worst oil spill in its history. Since the end of August, oil has covered coasts across the northeast, a poor region that depends on tourism and fishing. Despite the scale of the disaster, authorities have been slow to respond, leaving locals scraping off the oil in a bid to keep the beaches attractive to holidaymakers. Our correspondents report from Porto Sauipe.
A major clean-up continues along the coastline of northeastern Brazil following a massive oil spill that has polluted more than 130 beaches. In Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte State, more than 2 tonnes of oil has been removed from beaches so far.
Volunteers clean Mexico's Lerma beach, where dark stains in the water are being blamed on an oil spill at a gas production platform of state oil firm Pemex. Several NGOs, including Greenpeace, have denounced the spill, which on 12 July covered some 400 square kilometers.
Four weeks after a Philippine tanker loaded with 800,000 litres (210,000 gallons) of thick oil sank off the central island of Mindoro, the vessel is still leaking. Authorities have banned fishing and swimming indefinitely, leaving thousands of fishermen wondering how long they can survive. "If this situation prolongs, I might pull one of my children out of school because we don't have a source of income," fisherman Marlon Fabrero said.
Local authorities in the Venezuelan state of Anzoategui (northeast) announce the closure of several beaches as a result of an oil spill that covers several kilometres of coastline. According to Gustavo Castillo, director of the local civil protection, the affected beaches will be closed for 72 hours, "but given the seriousness of the event, this suspension will possibly be extended".
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