Tourists poisoned on a popular beach. The authorities do not rule out deliberate action
From the beginning of July in Portugal, 18 bathing areas had to be closed due to the contamination of coastal waters. In one of the resorts, the authorities do not exclude intentional action that led to a failure.
At the beginning of August, the beach in the popular Portuguese resort of Nazare was closed for several days. The reason was serious – over 116 people poisoned after bathing in the sea. The sunbathers began to see a doctor with symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The cause of water contamination was a failure causing sewage leakage to the sea. Although the situation was quickly controlled, in mid -August it was necessary to close the bathing beaches again, after the failure and water contamination occurred. This time, the ULS Regional Health Service unit in Leiria did not notice an increase in the number of visits to the ambulance with gastrointestinal symptoms.
Problems on Portuguese bathing areas
PAP informs that the problem was not only in Nazare. Due to water pollution from July this year. At least 18 bathing areas were temporarily closed in Portugal. Among them were the beaches popular among tourists in Sesimbra near Lisbon, Matosinhos in the Porto agglomeration, as well as in Marinha Grande. They are all located in the west of the country.
“These restrictions have intermediately hit the tourist sector, especially in the resorts popular among vacationers. Even the Algarve did not miss the problem,” said Abel Monteiro, an entrepreneur from the tourist real estate rental sector.
Has anyone intentionally polluted water?
The authorities do not exclude that in Nazare there may have been sabotage in connection with finding towels’ sewage flow in place. It is not known if someone left them there intentionally or otherwise got into the sewage system. A similar event occurred in 2020, when the beach towel blocked one of the pipes.
“At the moment I do not exclude (the possibilities of sabotage – ed.), Because several factors coincided to analyze if there are grounds to initiate proceedings,” said the mayor Nazaré, Manuel Sequeira in an interview with the Lusa agency, after mid -August the swimming pool was closed for the second time.
But the cause of the problem may also be different. The mayor admitted that a “large investment in pipelines is necessary, which are over 50-60 years old” and are not able to meet the “huge tourist pressure” with which Nazaré is struggling during the summer holidays.
From August 15 you can bathe there without any obstacles.
