Beaches north of the Umgeni River up to Salt Rock remain closed as a precautionary measure after the spill that occurred when a chemical warehouse in Cornubia was torched during the recent unrest in Durban.

The eThekwini municipality on Thursday advised the public to refrain from all recreational activities, including fishing or surfing, swimming, bait collection and picking up of dead species.

“Collecting or harvesting of any marine living resource in the area is temporarily prohibited as they have been exposed to toxic chemicals and could be harmful to human health. This warning and temporary closure of beaches remains in place until the threat has been determined to be abated,” said municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela.

He said results of samples taken were due back from specialist laboratories next week, after which authorities would reassess the situation.

“The public are asked to be patient and comply with requests from authorities. Any inconvenience is regretted, however the safety of the public is of utmost importance.”

A chemical cleanup company was appointed to clean up the spill and any contamination.

“Specialised cleanup crews are on site to deal with the collection and disposal of dead species in a responsible manner.”

Authorities are monitoring the area to determine the extent of the impact of the spill. Thus far, there has been a fish kill in the Ohlanga estuary and its adjacent beach area, with washing up of dead species up to Umdloti Beach, said Mayisela.

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