Wildlife killed, reefs damaged in ‘active’ Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Authorities say the oil is seeping from three sources, including a vessel that has not yet been identified.

Oil spilling from an unidentified vessel and two “natural” sources in the Gulf of Mexico has spread to seven nature reserves, covering an area of more than 600km (373 miles), Mexican authorities said on Thursday.

The findings follow weeks of controversy in Mexico over how the spill, which was first reported in early March off the coasts of Veracruz and Tabasco states, has been handled.

Although authorities ruled out “severe environmental damage”, Oceana, an international organisation focused on ocean conservation, said this week that reports from communities in the area revealed the spill has killed sea turtles, a manatee, and various fish species. About 17 reefs have been reported damaged, the organisation said.

Satellite imagery and physical inspections in the affected areas pointed to three sources of the oil spill, Navy Secretary Admiral Raymundo Morales told reporters at the Thursday news conference, adding that the spill point remains active.

They included a vessel docked off the coast of the port city of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz; a geological site 8km (5 miles) from the Coatzacoalcos port and known locally as a “chapopotera”; and another natural leak site in the Bay of Campeche.