Heavy overnight rain lead to a 500,000-gallon sewage spill along the beaches of Waikiki Monday morning, according to CNN. Wastewater ran out of overflowed manholes after a night of torrential rain, making its way down the Hawaiian beach through storm drains.
The wastewater made it into the storm drains with ease, however, with the help of people who had illegally opened manholes to alleviate the rapid flooding during the storm, according to CNN.
The famous beach was closed on Monday because of the overflowed sewage system linked to Tropical Storm Kilo, according to the Huffington Post.
"Now's not the time to go swimming," said Lori Kahikina, Honolulu's director of environmental services, according to the Huffington Post.
Tourists in surrounding areas were also warned to stay out of the waters, according to NBC News.
Another spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Services, Shayne Enright, also commented on the spill.
"We don't know right now what is in the water. You could get a serious infection, get extremely sick or even worse," she said, according to NBC News.
There is no word yet on how long the beach will be closed, according to CNN. Officials will be testing water samples over the next few days.
