Havana, July 27 - Erosion is threatening the famous beach resort of Varadero in eastern Cuba prompting the government to use some 380,000 cubic metres of sand to counter it, Prensa Latina reported Monday.

A team of divers, dredgers and heavy machine operators extracted the sand and dumped it along a 700 metre stretch of the beach.

According to official figures, about 40,000-60,000 tourists visit the beaches of Varadero that are retreating at an average rate of 1.2 metres per year.