At a Glance

The plume created a black cloud in the water.Heavy rain may have caused the overflow.Residents have complained about sewage leaks for years.

A smelly, stomach-churning plume of raw sewage spilled onto a beach in the famed Mexico resort of Acapulco last week.

"It was very stinky and ," a witness who asked to remain anonymous told Reuters.

The discharge, captured on a video that went viral, shows the discharge flushing over the beach and into the water, where it spread out in a black cloud. The witness said the June 25 incident lasted about 25 minutes.

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The beach is in front of a local hotel.

Acapulco was best known in its heyday for beaches and cliff divers, but residents have complained for years that sewage regularly leaks into the bay.

Last week's leak is under investigation and local officials have requested that it be treated as a federal crime. Initial reports show it may have been caused by a broken sewer that might have overflowed due to heavy rainfall in recent days.

The most recent spill came as the region struggles with the coronavirus pandemic. Mexico has recorded more than of COVID-19, including 5,413 in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.

Tourism has also faded in the once-famed beach resort due to crime and gang violence in recent years.