At least 10 Chinese shellfish gatherers died and several more
were missing after they were caught by a fast-rising tide on a
beach in northwest England, the British coastguard said on
Friday.?
A group of around 25 cockle gatherers were cut off from the
shore in Morecombe Bay, Lancashire, late on Thursday. Seven were
rescued or managed to wade or swim ashore.
"At least 10 have died and there are possibly more dead," said
coastguard spokesman Martin Collins.
Police coordinating the rescue said military helicopters and the
coastguard began searching for the group when the alarm was raised
after dark on Thursday.
Locals often go out onto the beach to harvest cockles, which
live just below the surface of muddy sand and are eaten after being
shelled and cooked.
But the tides in the bay are dangerous for those who are not
used to them, especially at night. The incoming sea can sometimes
surround the unwary, quickly cutting them off from shore.
Local media reported the Chinese cockle gatherers may be migrant
workers.
(China Daily February 6, 2004)