Seaweed piles up on beaches along Mexico’s Caribbean coast

MEXICO CITY – Workers are struggling to remove tons of seaweed that has washed up on beaches along Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

The hardest hit area is the so-called “Riviera Maya” south of Cancun where resorts like Playa del Carmen and Tulum are located.

Quintana Roo state officials said the mats of sargassum seaweed are likely to continue washing up on beaches at least until September.

Officials said Friday that workers are removing an average of 1,100 cubic meters (1,439 cubic yards) of sargassum per day.

The seaweed is not harmful, but it often smells when it decays.