Despite President Claudia Sheinbaum's assurance that the beaches of Veracruz are clean, local residents claim that after entering the water, they come out with hydrocarbon residues on different parts of their bodies. A fisherman from Alvarado shared a video on social media showing his granddaughter with spots on her face after swimming in the Papaloapan River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The footage shows him trying to remove the substance with a paper; however, it does not come off despite his efforts. 'Look, there's no asphalt, see how the girl is. But if I were a tourist, I wouldn't get into the sea right now (...) Even if they want to minimize it, this is already a public health issue,' he stated. Sheinbaum asserts that Gulf of Mexico beaches are 'clean'. The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, highlighted that the Gulf of Mexico beaches are already clean thanks to the 'permanent' work of the authorities, while noting that her Government is in contact with those affected to be able to compensate for the damage caused by this case of contamination. 'At this moment the beaches are clean, that is very important, because they were cleaned, it's not that the oil naturally no longer reached the beach, but because there was a cleaning process. And we are working with the fishermen and the affected people to be able to generate a condition for compensation for the damage,' declared the head of state at her daily press conference. Sheinbaum emphasized that the interdisciplinary group - made up of the Secretariat of the Navy, the Ministry of Environment, Science and Mexican Petroleum (Pemex) - that is investigating this hydrocarbon spill will remain 'permanently' for similar future cases. The objective, she explained, is for them to work on alert systems that 'allow us to know in greater detail when there is a leak of this type'. 'We will continue working (...) on an alert system that as we mentioned is being perfected for hurricanes in the Pacific as well as in the Gulf and also for possible contamination in the sea,' she said. With information from EFE. 'Just look... they say there's nothing in the river,' he expresses in the video. The fisherman, identified as Hugo, pointed out that it was necessary to apply creams and spend a considerable amount of time to remove the stain, which had become embedded in the minor while she was bathing. According to his explanation, there is still the presence of asphalt, so he does not recommend entering the sea during this period. The specialist recounted that after visiting the beaches, she ended up with her feet covered in hydrocarbons, a substance that she warned can be toxic to people. 'What concerns the government is tourism; they will do everything possible to attract visitors and make it seem that nothing is happening. They say there is none, that it's surely paint, but it's not paint: it's asphalt. Likewise, she questioned the official versions that rule out risks to the population. According to the statements of Governor Rocío Nahle García, the beaches are clean and suitable for tourist activities, in the context of the upcoming Easter vacation period. However, marine biologist Ana Fernanda, creator of the page 'Let's Talk About Biology', assured that the situation is different. It doesn't come off.
