Mexican officials said Thursday that an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in March polluted beaches, killed wildlife and spread for hundreds of miles, starting with a spill near the Abcatun field operated by state energy company Pemex.Pemex Chief Executive Officer Victor Rodriguez said the leak was not reported within the organization, leading to disciplinary action. “There was a leak and senior officials were not informed about the repairs,” he said, adding that several officials would be removed from their posts as a result, Reuters reported.Rodriguez said three company executives had already lost their jobs for failing to report the spill, which began in February and led to a spill of crude that washed up on shores in March.In previous weeks, authorities had worked hard to determine the source of the leak, with an earlier investigation in late March focusing on petroleum tankers passing through the area before the leak was identified near the Abaktun field.Mexican officials said Thursday that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in early March had spread more than 600 kilometers (373 miles), including seven protected nature reserves, according to the AP.Officials said the leak was linked to three possible sources, including a ship that has not yet been identified and two natural leakage points.Earlier in March, Navy Secretary Raymundo Morales said that satellite imagery and observations had identified three sources: a ship anchored off the coast of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz, a geological seep site known as “Chapopotera” located 8 kilometers away, and another natural seep in the Bay of Campeche. He said the ship had not yet been identified because 13 ships in the area had not been inspected at the time.“These oil spills have continuous, natural emissions; however, there has been a greater influx of pollutants in the past month,” Morales said.Officials said about 430 tonnes of hydrocarbons have been recovered so far. They also reported that the leak affected seven protected nature reserves in Veracruz and Tabasco, although Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena said no serious environmental damage had been detected.Environmental officials said six species, including sea turtles, birds and fish, were contaminated. The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Connap) said cleanup operations were carried out at several protected sites, including Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz Reef System National Park and Centalla Wetlands Biosphere Reserve.
