Spain cleans up after mystery substance closes three beaches / Photo: © AFP
-
Arsenal thrashed by Brighton, sorry Spurs lose again
-
Carapaz out of cycling world championships
-
South Korea, Austria qualify for Davis Cup finals
-
'Fragile' Tottenham beaten by Aston Villa despite late rally
-
Seare shocks Ingebrigtsen to win world 5km gold
-
Mourinho hails Real Madrid grit before Atletico derby clash
-
Brigitte Bardot widower slams sale of star's belongings
-
Martin wins Austrian MotoGP sprint after Acosta crash
-
Aston Villa compound Tottenham's misery despite late rally
-
Japan edge Fiji to win Pacific Nations Cup
-
Asian Games offer 'deepest apologies' for South Korea anthem blunder
-
Black smoke, flames rising near Riyadh airport: residents to AFP
-
Inter Milan and Italy icon Mazzola dies aged 83
-
UK actor Naomi Watts honoured at Spain film festival
-
Saudi capital issues first air raid alert since renewed fighting in Yemen
-
Japan emperor declares Asian Games open after turbulent build-up
-
Martin edges title rival Marquez for Austrian MotoGP pole
-
Asian Games open with unity message after troubled build-up
-
Indonesia accepts Malaysia's help to tackle wildfires
-
Denmark hails 'binding' Greenland deal with Trump
-
Indians living in Japan on stand-by to house Asian Games athletes
-
We don't want Games host Japan losing money, says Asian Olympic official
-
Trump signs bill authorizing sweeping Russia sanctions
-
Ed Sheeran returns to stage after Palestinian controversy
-
Protesters form human chain at Kennedy Center after Trump threat
-
Asian Games to open in Japan after troubled build-up
-
Death toll from attack at police HQ in Pakistan rises to 31
-
Drone owners rush to offload devices ahead of Beijing ban
-
Trump says Denmark to give US 'permanent control' over Greenland security
-
Trump's beef policies irk Texas ranchers, testing their loyalty
-
Kennedy Center: future unclear for iconic Washington arts hub
-
Nvidia, OpenAI CEOs to attend Xi dinner at White House
-
Trump claims 'infinite' Greenland security deal with Denmark
-
Anthropic picks Accenture for in-house AI safety evaluation
-
Helicopters battle wildfire threatening Ecuador's capital
-
Balogun returns as Monaco beat Lens to continue strong Ligue 1 start
-
Brentford batter Chelsea to undo Alonso's promising start
-
'Pause' on overt repression in Venezuela, but reforms still needed: HRW
-
Kane hits Bundesliga century as Bayern rout Union
-
Global stocks mixed as yen falls despite Bank of Japan rate hike
-
Trump says CNN, MS NOW, Politico banned from White House
-
Cuba hit with seventh major blackout of the year
-
Hushing and hedging: US companies retreat on climate
-
Murray out with concussion so Wentz will start for Vikings
-
Springboks to face Fiji before 2027 Rugby World Cup
-
UN chief 'deeply regrets' US visa refusal to Abbas for annual meeting
-
Nigeria miners struggled to breathe in cell before 37 died: survivors
-
England quick Carse to face no charges over alleged nightclub assault
-
McIlroy on the charge at PGA Championship as Reed withdraws
-
Mancini brings nine newcomers into the first squad of his Italy comeback
Spain cleans up after mystery substance closes three beaches
Spanish authorities on Wednesday began cleaning up three beaches in the eastern city of Valencia, closed to the public after an unidentified black substance washed up on the coast.
Workers in protective coats and masks shovelled tainted sand into plastic sacks.
"All avenues of investigation are still open regarding the origin of the oil spill," deputy prefect Raquel Ibanez told reporters.
The maritime authorities were checking the area to ensure there was no other pollution in the sea, she added.
"The entire area where hydrocarbons were reported is now pollution-free, according to all the inspections we conducted yesterday and this morning," said Ibanez.
Professionals were collecting and analysing samples to assess the impact of the pollution, she said.
Fire service drones were flying over the coastline to check the extent of the incident, Juan Carlos Caballero of Valencia's civil protection service wrote in a post at the local authority's website.
The main aim was to get things back to normal and reopen the beaches, he added.
C.Bruderer--VB
