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| Birling Gap beach: 100 treated after chemical 'mist' | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| More than 100 people have been treated in hospital after a suspected chemical leak along the East Sussex coast. | |
| Birling Gap beach was evacuated on Sunday after people reported breathing difficulties, stinging eyes and vomiting when a "mist" appeared. | Birling Gap beach was evacuated on Sunday after people reported breathing difficulties, stinging eyes and vomiting when a "mist" appeared. |
| Eastbourne District General Hospital says it has treated 133 people. | |
| Investigations are under way into the cause of the "chemical haze", which was currently unknown, Sussex Police said. | Investigations are under way into the cause of the "chemical haze", which was currently unknown, Sussex Police said. |
| A spokesman said the first report came in just before 17:00 BST where "up to 50 people had been affected by irritation to eyes and throats". | A spokesman said the first report came in just before 17:00 BST where "up to 50 people had been affected by irritation to eyes and throats". |
| Six people initially went to hospital with minor symptoms, but as of Sunday night 133 patients were being "decontaminated" at hospital, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said. | |
| Coastguard rescue teams from Birling Gap, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Newhaven raced to help clear the busy beaches as visitors feared they had been struck by a chlorine leak. | Coastguard rescue teams from Birling Gap, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Newhaven raced to help clear the busy beaches as visitors feared they had been struck by a chlorine leak. |
| Kyle Crickmore, who was at the Birling Gap beach with his family, said it emptied in 10 minutes after people began to feel unwell. | Kyle Crickmore, who was at the Birling Gap beach with his family, said it emptied in 10 minutes after people began to feel unwell. |
| He described how a "foggy haze rolled in out of nowhere" and there was a "strong smell of chlorine in the air". | He described how a "foggy haze rolled in out of nowhere" and there was a "strong smell of chlorine in the air". |
| "It was definitely out of the ordinary considering it was a nice clear sunny day 10 minutes beforehand," he said. | "It was definitely out of the ordinary considering it was a nice clear sunny day 10 minutes beforehand," he said. |
| "It was stupidly busy and it was a boiling hot day. | "It was stupidly busy and it was a boiling hot day. |
| "It emptied in about 10 minutes, which was quite staggering considering the amount of people who were there." | "It emptied in about 10 minutes, which was quite staggering considering the amount of people who were there." |
| Members of the public alerted emergency services, which triggered call-outs to the UK Coastguard, Sussex Police, South Eastern Ambulance Service and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, who said they were treating it as a "chemical incident". | Members of the public alerted emergency services, which triggered call-outs to the UK Coastguard, Sussex Police, South Eastern Ambulance Service and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, who said they were treating it as a "chemical incident". |
| The RNLI said that "possibly some kind of gaseous fumes" had drifted over and a significant number of people on cliff tops had been struck down with symptoms including irritation, sore eyes and vomiting. | |
| Dan Sankey wrote on Twitter: "Beautiful afternoon at Birling Gap cut short by some weird mist, burning everyone's eyes which led to the beach and cliff being evacuated." | |
| The beachfront is a popular hot spot for tourists and locals on bank holidays. | |
| People living along the coast have been advised to keep windows and doors shut since the incident. | |
| UK Coastguard commander Steve Carson said: "This seems to have been caused by an unknown haze coming in from the sea, but the source has not yet been established." | |
| Eastbourne councillor Kathy Ballard said: "We need to find out the cause, where did this come from, and to make sure that steps are taken so that it does not happen again. | |
| "I have not heard of it happening before in this area." | |
| The National Trust, which owns the land and has a cafe and visitor centre there, said it was aware of the incident and was working with the emergency services. | |
| The hospital initially said it had treated 233 people, but later revised the number to 133. |