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A photo of Coruripe Beach in Alagoas State, produced on October 7 by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. HO / IBAMA / AFP

More than a hundred beaches have been contaminated by oil throughout the Nordeste region, which is very touristy. The origin of this pollution is still unknown.

With our correspondent in Sao Paulo, Martin Bernard

Large oil cakes began to appear in early September. The phenomenon has gradually spread to the entire coast of northeastern Brazil, over more than 2,000 kilometers. On the beaches, clean-up operations have removed more than 100 tonnes of oil .

But the impact of pollution is important. Several sea turtles have been found dead and a breeding center for these turtles has suspended its operations. Tourism could also be hit hard.

Pollution from abroad, according to Bolsonaro

" This is a very worrying disaster ," said the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, who says that the material harvested on the beaches is not of Brazilian origin.

President Jair Bolsonaro says he has his idea on the issue, but he does not want to name a culprit before having evidence. However, he favors the hypothesis of a criminal act. " The oil could have been dumped at sea, " he says. But as more than 140 ships frequently crisscross the area, it will not be easy to identify the person in charge.