Overview
- Residents in Jicacal confronted Navy personnel on the beach and pressed lumps of tar into their hands, saying oil still coats parts of the Pajapan shoreline.
- Video from the local outlet Voz Ciudadana Pajapan shows fishers vowing to dig into the sand to prove hydrocarbons remain buried on the beaches.
- The Navy said the plastic bags reported on southern Veracruz beaches held sargassum seaweed rather than petroleum and said civilian crews gathered the material.
- Semar stated its role was surveillance and supervision while about 100 residents, hired through a private contractor, carried out the collection work.
- Locals who joined the cleanup report they lacked proper tools and have not received full pay, as fishing and tourism income in the area remains disrupted.