It will take at least 100 years for a coral reef damaged by Hurricane Wilma last month in southeast Mexico to recover, Alfredo Arellano, head of Mexico's Protected Natural Areas Commission (Conamp) in Yucatan, southeast Mexico, said on Friday.

Hurricane Wilma uprooted a coral reef stretching 40 km from the sea off Cozumel Island and threw it "into abyss," said Arellano. "It could take at least 100 years for the reef to recover."

Mexico's reef system is the largest in the Western Hemisphere, stretching hundreds of kilometers along the Yucatan coast.

Conamp was already trying to restore the reef by hiring 10 divers to drill holes in the rock and attach loose coral with epoxy glue there, Arellano said.

He added he was seeking help from diving fans for the time-consuming work.

Hurricane Wilma killed 10 people in the Yucatan region and caused massive damage to Cuba and the US state of Florida early last month.

Source: Xinhua