Grupo Mexico spills 3,000 liters of sulfuric acid into the Sea of Cortez
A few days ago, all over the world, news outlets reported that Grupo Mexico committed an ecocide… again.
On Tuesday, July 9th, a “failure” in one of its pipes caused the spill of 3 thousand liters (789 gallons) of sulfuric acid in the waters of the Sea of Cortez. The location is in one of the Grupo México facilities in the area of Muelles de Apiguay, within the Maritime Terminal of Guaymas.
Although Grupo Mexico and the authorities clarified that the situation had been controlled and there was nothing to worry about, Sonora representative Carlos Navarrete indicated that three people were injured by the spill. In addition, several local media and organizations called on the federal authorities to investigate what happened for “damages perpetrated against the health of Mexicans and the environment by this company.”Grupo México is the largest mining corporation in Mexico and the third largest copper producer in the world through ASARCO. Ferrocarril Mexicano (Ferromex), the company’s rail transport division, operates the nation’s largest rail fleet.
The first proof of Grupo México’s damage to the environment was made public:
At the San Francisco Beach of San Carlos, in Guaymas dozens of people who were in the place witnessed the sad and harrowing way in which a sea turtle was affected by the chemical spill of Grupo México, which caused a tremendously bad swelling on the quelonion, and then it died on the beach, in front of a group of people who captured the terrible scene on video.
The video was published on Carlos Navarrete Aguirre Facebook page, and along with the turtle and dead fish can be seen on the beach, not far from the spot where the chemical spill was registered.
“This will not go unpunished we want and demand the cancellation of the concession granted to Germán Larrea Mota Velasco. The death of this sea turtle in the San Francisco beach of San Carlos, is the beginning of the environmental tragedy caused by Grupo Mexico, on Tuesday, July 9, when thousands of liters of sulfuric acid were spilled into the Sea of Cortez from their facilities located in Apiguay, Guaymas, Sonora, “ says the publication shared by the deputy of Morena.
“Germán Larrea Mota Velasco is destroying our environment, destroying hills, mountains, polluting our rivers and seas, causes people diseases such as cancer and killing all kinds of animal species” adds Navarrete, stating that in his representation as secretary of the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Commission in the Sonora Congress, he will demand that the concession to Grupo México be withdrawn.
Meanwhile, the real damage that this chemical accident has left in the marine life of the Sea of Cortez is still unknown.
With information from TheMaritimeHerald and TheYucatanTimes
