President Jair Bolsonaro ordered on Saturday (5) that the Federal Police, the Navy Command and the Ministry of the Environment investigate the source of an oil spill that has affected all of the states in the Northeast.
Officials suspect that an oil spill from a foreign ship has caused the oil slicks.
The oil pill has progressed steadily since the beginning of September. On Thursday (3), the oil reached Bahia, where the Tamar Project preserves endangered marine species.
This Saturday, one of the most popular beaches in Fortaleza (CE), Praia do Futuro, was unsuitable for swimming because of the oil. Officials advised sunbathers not to enter the sea. The state environmental agency advises people to avoid contact with toxic material.
In Sergipe, the problem worsened on Saturday. Even more oil appeared along the coast south of the capital, Aracaju. In this stretch to the border with Bahia, all beaches are unsuitable for swimming, which also harms tourism.
"It is like wiping ice. Our teams remove the oil from the sand and the sea brings new waves. It is something we have never seen here," said Gilvan Dias, the president of Adema (State Administration of the Environment).
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon