Nineteen drown in Morecambe Bay
Friday, 6 February 2004 17:05
Nineteen people are now known to have died in last night's tidal tragedy at Morecambe Bay in Lancashire in north-west England.
The dead were among a group of around 30 cockle pickers who drowned after being cut off on mudflats by the fast rising tide for which Morecambe is notorious.
The victims were all Chinese and mainly in their teens and twenties. Their bodies were recovered by hovercraft and RAF helicopter after the alarm was raised shortly after 9pm.
Police are investigating whether they were illegal immigrants and have opened an inquiry into the identities of the shellfish harvesters.
Commercial cockling on Morecambe Sands is worth about £6 million annually and it is common for gangs of illegal immigrants from across Britain to be brought to the area to pick cockles for very little money.
The local bishop, the Right Reverend Patrick O'Donoghue - who speaks on migration issues for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales - said the tragedy raised fundamental questions about whether Britain was providing enough protection for migrant workers.
- Morning Ireland: Emma Murphy of ITN outlines the details of the Morecambe Bay tragedy
- 6.01 News: Brian O'Connell, London Editor, reports that the dead were unlicensed cockle-pickers, unaware of the dangerous nature of the bay
- 6.01 News: Dr Patrick O'Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster, expresses his sorrow and explains how teachertous the sands at Morecambe are
- 9.00 News: Brian O'Connell, London Editor, reports that police are trying to determine if the Chinese victims were migrants
