Oil spill smears Venezuelan tourist hotspots

An oil spill has polluted more than 2.5 miles of coastline at the city of Lechería, one of Venezuela's top tourist destinations, authorities said Tuesday.

The mayor has ordered the beaches closed for at least 72 hours in the resorts of Los Canales, Lido and Cangrejo. The government of President Nicolás Maduro and the state-owned PDVSA oil company have yet to announce what caused the spill, or how much oil has been unleashed along the coast of the state of Anzoátegui.

The nearby refinery of Puerto La Cruz has the capacity to process 200,000 barrels of crude a day. Oil production has dropped sharply in recent years in Venezuela.