A Massive Molasses Spill Is Killing Everything In Its Path - And Nothing Can Be Done To Clean Up The Mess

A giant molasses spill in Honolulu on Monday leaked 233,000 gallons of the sticky stuff into the harbor.

The spill is being called the worst environmental disaster in Hawaii's history. The cracked pipe that caused the leak was repaired on Tuesday, but the spill has already killed thousands of fish and officials are warning swimmers and surfers to stay out of the water since it could attract sharks.

"Everything is dead. They're all dead and they're all just lying across the bottom - hundreds and hundreds, thousands," a diver told NBC affiliate KHNL.

The worst part is that nothing can be done to clean up the mess.

Molasses is heavier than water, so unlike oil, it sinks to the bottom of the seafloor.

"Unlike with an oil spill, it's a sugar product so it will dissipate on its own," a spokesman for the shipping company that maintains the molasses pipeline told NBCNews. "There's not an active cleanup."

Here are more photos from the disaster:

Various kinds of dead marine life can seen in this barrel collected by employees from the PENCO Pacific Environmental Corporation at a dock in Keehi Lagoon in Honolulu.

Health officials have warned swimmers, surfers, and snorkelers in Hawaii to stay out of the waters near Honolulu.

A dead fish washed ashore is seen in Keehi Lagoon. Thousands of fish have been killed.