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Fuel oil spill shuts a number of beaches in Spain's Gran Canaria

An oil spill off the Spanish island of Gran Canaria required local authorities to close several beaches in the popular vacation destination on Thursday and state an ecological emergency.

Emergency services said on social messaging platform X that they were alerted on Wednesday night of the accidental spill during a vessel's refueling stop at La Luz port of Las Palmas, the island's capital. It included a maximum of 3 metric tons of IFO 180, which is designated as a Really Low Sulphur Oil.

The name of the vessel was not revealed.

According to the president of Gran Canaria's governing council, Antonio Morales, the oil slick was approximately 2 km ( 1.2 miles) long and 400 m (1,300 feet) large.

Morales stated the slick was moving south towards the neighbouring Telde municipality, pressed by winds. Currents were up until now preventing it from impacting a close-by drinking water production plant, however it was still unclear whether the oil would reach land.

The beaches of La Restinga, Palos, San Borondon and El Baranquillo were closed to the public as the oil approached the coast, Telde's city center said on X, while a helicopter, drones and a maritime rescue boat were assisting emergency situation services manage the spill.

This contamination sadly has a significant magnitude, which is why many resources have actually been deployed, Telde's. mayor Juan Antonio Pena informed Reuters.

Something like this is preventable. We will require. accountability because it harms the environment and we can not. enable it to ever happen once again, Pena said.

(source: Reuters)