Sawt Falasteen - Spain cleans up after mystery substance closes three beaches

Workers in protective coats and masks shovelled tainted sand into plastic sacks.

"All avenues of investigation are still open regarding the origin of the oil spill," deputy prefect Raquel Ibanez told reporters.

The maritime authorities were checking the area to ensure there was no other pollution in the sea, she added.

"The entire area where hydrocarbons were reported is now pollution-free, according to all the inspections we conducted yesterday and this morning," said Ibanez.

Professionals were collecting and analysing samples to assess the impact of the pollution, she said.

Fire service drones were flying over the coastline to check the extent of the incident, Juan Carlos Caballero of Valencia's civil protection service wrote in a post at the local authority's website.

The main aim was to get things back to normal and reopen the beaches, he added.

N.AbuHussein--SF-PST