Oil Spill Forces Closure of Valencia Beaches

The Valencia city council closed three Mediterranean beaches due to an unidentified oil spill. Authorities deployed drones, helicopters, and special crews to investigate and clean the affected 2-km area. While the spill's exact extent is still being determined, it remains confined to the near coastlines.

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.

(With inputs from agencies.)