Mexico's coastal communities fear more crude contamination as spill source unclear

Black tar slicks cover parts of a beach as members of Civil Protection survey the area before starting cleanup work following an oil spill that has affected fishermen and several coastal communities, in Las Barrillas, Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Angel Hernandez

(Corrects surname of ecologist to ⁠Zepeda from Zepada in paragraph 5)

COATZACOALCOS, Mexico, March 20 (Reuters) - Residents ⁠along Mexico's Gulf Coast fear more crude oil will wash onto beaches ‌in Tabasco and Veracruz states nearly a month after the first signs of contamination were detected, as authorities investigate the source of the spill.