Sydney beaches shut over mysterious tar balls washing ashore
Sydney’s Bondi Beach and other beaches around the Australian city were shut on Thursday as officials investigated mysterious tar balls that have washed ashore.
Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach and other beaches around the Australian city were shut on Thursday as authorities investigated mysterious tar balls that have washed ashore.
The dark, sticky, golf-ball-sized blobs were first reported Tuesday on Coogee Beach, leading to a series of beach closures across the city’s shores. They also include Bronte, Tamarama, Gordons Bay, Clovelly, and the northern end of Maroubra Beach, all of which are closed until further notice pending cleanup and removal of the material.
People have been advised not to swim near or touch the debris. The City Council of Randwick, a Sydney suburb that is home to four of the beaches, said preliminary test results showed that the blobs were tar balls, formed when oil comes into contact with debris and water.
“We don’t yet know what has happened to produce the debris washing up on our beaches,” Mayor Dylan Parker said in a statement Thursday.
“But we will continue to work with relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the public and clean up our beaches.”
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