Oil spill smears coast in Venezuelan tourist hotspot

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — An oil spill has polluted more than 2.5 miles of coastline at one of Venezuela’s top tourist destinations. Neither the government nor the state-owned oil company has commented on what caused the spill, or how much oil is polluting the Caribbean shore. But Lechería’s mayor, Manuel Ferreira, calls it a catastrophic scene that speaks for itself. He ordered three resorts closed for at least 72 hours. The nearby refinery of Puerto La Cruz can process 200,000 barrels of crude a day for waiting tanker ships. But production has dropped sharply. Critics blame poor maintenance and a lack of investment for more frequent spills.