Civilians and soldiers remove thick oil from Brazil's beaches

Soldiers sifted through sand looking for the thick petroleum sludge that has been mysteriously washing up on beaches in Brazil.

Brazil's government said on Monday (October 21) that it had collected more than 600 tonnes of oil from its northeastern beaches since Sept. 12.

Oil has been washing up on the shores of northeastern Brazil for two months. More than 200 locations along the coast have been affected, threatening marine life, authorities said.

Brazil's government has said the oil spill is Venezuelan in origin, but has mostly stopped short of blaming their socialist government for the incident. Venezuela has denied it is to blame.