# Mexico removes 1 lakh tonnes of sargassum; seaweed crisis threatens tourism 2026-08-13T03:14:53+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet By late July 2026, Mexico had collected over 1 lakh tonnes of sargassum from its Caribbean coast, already exceeding the 92,783 tonnes removed in all of 2025, the Times of India reports. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt now stretches 5,000 miles, with satellite measurements showing 37.5 million metric tons in May. Record amounts have hit the Caribbean, forcing round-the-clock clean-up using navy ships, barriers and manual labour. Tourism has suffered: a waitress in Playa del Carmen said her restaurant's daily customers dropped from 400 to under 50. President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged a slight drop despite claiming record foreign arrivals. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Caribbean, climate impact, Mexico, sargassum, seaweed crisis, tourism Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mexico-removes-1-lakh-tonnes-of-sargassum-seaweed-crisis-threatens-tourism/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mexico-removes-1-lakh-tonnes-of-sargassum-seaweed-crisis-threatens-tourism/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.