Oil spill ruins Canary Islands paradise

The Spanish Canary islands are considered the most exotic touristic destinations in Europe. The 12 islands the autonomous region feature outstanding beaches and marine wildlife. However, the subtropical paradise was hit by a devastating oil spill.

Just shy above a kilometer of coastline was heavily hit by the oil stain. The affected coastline lies near El Cabron beach on the Gran Canaria island. Canary authorities have already requested help from mainland.

More than 100 divers, municipal workers and hundreds of volunteers joined by personnel with the Spanish Environmental Ministry started the clean up procedure. Guardia Civil members were spotted along the shoreline picking up samples of sand and water.

The origin of the spill is still unclear, but Canary authorities believe a large ship located in international waters between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura island cleaned out its bilge into the sea.

The environmental incident comes just a month after the Spanish government granted Repsol the permission to explore for oil and natural gas off the coast of Canary Islands.