Activists raise alarms over virus litter along French coast

PARIS (AP) — Soggy, algae-caked surgical masks resting on the seabed. Soiled, waterlogged rubber gloves, drifting beneath the Mediterranean waves. A French environmental group found this virus-era detritus littering the sea floor near the French Riviera resort of Antibes, and is trying to raise awareness and clean it up. Video shot by the group Operation Clean Sea shows masks and gloves scattered on the seabed, among beer cans, cigarette butts and other trash. The group shared the images online as France and other countries gradually reopen their beaches. They warn that plastic garbage from the pandemic could worsen pollution already staining the Mediterranean Sea.