Sydney Authorities Closed Several Beaches Due To The Discovery Of Hundreds Of Black Balls Allegedly Toxic

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Remos Keith/US Fish and Wildlife Service)

JAKARTA - A number of beaches in Sydney, Australia, including Bondi's iconic beaches, were closed to visitors on Thursday after hundreds of allegedly toxic black balls were stranded on beaches in the city.

The Waverley Regional Authority said it had closed Bondi Beach, Bronte and Tamarama as a precaution, while the adjacent Randwick Authority had closed four other beaches south. Bondi and Maroubra beaches south later reopened.

"The welfare of our community is the most important. That is why the Council has taken precautions to close our coast," Waverley Mayor Will Meresh said in a statement.

Preliminary testing by the Randwick Authority showed the mysterious objects were " tar balls", oil clumps and debris.

"We have so many pollutants in the atmosphere, so many pollutants on board, so many pollutants, plastic, are coming to our shores, unfortunately elsewhere in the world," said Monica O'Connell, a resident of Cogee, one of the beaches covered by the Randwick Authority.

Meanwhile, the New South Wales State Environmental Protection Authority said it was doing its own tests and advised against swimming near or touching the balls.

Sydney has more than 100 beaches on its ports and along its world-famous seaside, attracting millions of tourists and locals every year.