Footage shows wetlands blackened by Abbot Point coal dust, activists say

Adani says it released water into the Caley valley wetlands after Cyclone Debbie, but claims photos showing apparent contamination are 'misleading'

New footage reveals the scale of coal dust contamination of nationally significant wetlands after Cyclone Debbie hit Adani's Queensland port, environmentalists claim.

Helicopter and drone flyovers recorded footage showing a large part of the Caley Valley wetlands "smothered" by a "thick black sludge of coal", together with lumps of coal scattered on a nearby beach where turtles nest, the Australian Conservation Foundation and Australian Marine Conservation Foundation said.