The Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the spill of fuel on the beaches of l’Albufera in Valencia and has asked the Seprona of the Civil Guard to carry out the initial investigations in order to determine the origin, according to sources from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Thus, the specialized Environmental Unit of the armed institute has taken samples in the area of the beaches in the south of Valencia and is analyzing them, according to sources from the Civil Guard consulted by elDiario.es. This is a “complicated” investigation, the same sources acknowledge, which tries to determine the exact origin of the spill. The same unit has been in charge, among others, of the investigation that identified the alleged arsonist of El Saler.
The investigation is progressing in parallel with the investigation that the Maritime Authority is carrying out into the origin of the spill. “The Maritime Authority and Maritime Rescue are making all the resources and all the investigators available, who are checking each and every one of the ships that were around the area where the spill was detected,” explained this Thursday the Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, who insisted that “all lines of investigation are open.”
However, the Port Authority of Valencia ruled out from the start that the source of the spill was linked to the Port, located a stone’s throw from the beaches of the l’Albufera natural park. The spill affected an area of two kilometres, including the beaches of El Saler, l’Arbre del Gos and La Garrofera.
Following the clean-up work on the beaches, the National Maritime Plan has lowered the situation to zero level after confirming that “no contamination is observed in the sea”, according to Pilar Bernabé. The Valencia City Council has reopened the affected beaches this Thursday. However, the Councillor for Beaches, Mónica Gil, has explained that “the red flag will still be maintained, until the water analyses carried out by the Generalitat determine that it is, in fact, suitable for bathing”.
A total of 35 cubic metres of waste were collected and deposited with the managing body, and nearly 2,800 metres of coastline were cleaned.
The Government delegate in the Valencian Community also explained that the results of the analysis of the fuel spill will be known on Thursday, which will help to determine what type of vessel was responsible.
On Thursday, dozens of people called by the Comissió Port Ciutat gathered on the Playa del Saler beach to protest against the spill and the threat of expansion of the Port of Valencia. The Federation of Neighbourhood Associations of Valencia and councillors from Compromís also joined the rally.
Source: www.eldiario.es
