Spain's Valencia shuts three beaches hit by oil spill

A view shows El Saler beach in the Albufera Natural Park, after the city council of Valencia closed three beaches on the Mediterranean coast after a suspected fuel spill spread on the sand, in Valencia, Spain July 16, 2024. /Eva Manez

VALENCIA, Spain - The city council of Valencia, Spain, on Tuesday closed three beaches on the Mediterranean coast after oil or fuel from a spill washed up on a 2-km (1.2-mile) line of sand. The cause of the spill was not immediately clear.

"The red flag was raised on the beach of Saler, Arbre del Gos y Garrofera because of the spill," city hall spokesperson Juan Carlos Caballero told reporters.

Authorities in Valencia, Spain's third-largest city, have sent a drone and a helicopter to find the origin and nature of the spill and gauge its severity. Special crews were sent to clean up the popular beaches just south of the city on a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean and a protected wetland called L'Albufera.

The extent of the spill appeared limited to that area, Caballero said.

In addition to an industrial port and several heavy-industry plants, Valencia also has popular beach resorts.

- (Reuters)