On Sunday 25 August, emergency services were called to beaches on England’s southeastern coast of Essex, about 140km from London, after 150 people fell ill after going into the sea.
People on the beaches of Frinton-on-Sea, Clacton and Walton-on-the-Naze bgan coughing, vomiting and struggling to breath from about 2pm, reports the BBC.
Essex beach. Image credit: Nck Page
Fourteen people, who had been in the seawater, were taken to Colchester Hospital although it has been reported that nobody was seriously ill.
One woman, Miriam Lansdell spoke to the BBC about the symptoms that her twin daughters experienced. ‘My daughter started coughing. She said, ‘I don’t feel good. It hurts to breathe in’.
‘My other daughter was gasping and couldn’t form words because she couldn’t breathe well enough.’
The British Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that there was ‘no evidence of a fuel spillage’ from ships. Samples of the seawater have been taken to labs for testing, but the results have not yet been made public.
The police have advised people to stay advised to stay out of the water until further notice.
Image: Nick Page
