23 Chinese stranded off English coast

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 06, 2004

23 Chinese stranded off English coast

Twenty-three people, thought to be Chinese, were left stranded and in danger of drowning after being cut off by rising tides while collecting shellfish on mudflats off the northwest coast of England, the British coastguard and defence ministry said.

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Up to 23 people were trapped by a strong incoming tide at Morecambe Bay, northwestern England, on Thursday night, a Sky News report said.

They faced a "serious risk of drowning", the report quoted the British Ministry of Defense as saying.

The group were all believed to be Chinese and were thought to have been out collecting cockles when they became trapped, possibly by mud.

"There are 23 people cut off on a sandbank at Morecambe. We have picked one up -- he was Chinese," said a coastguard spokesman, whoadded that an emergency call came in at 9:10 p.m. (0910 GMT).

"He was taken to the Royal Lancashire Hospital suffering from hypothermia. We could not get any more information out of him because he could not speak English. The operation is ongoing," he said.

Two Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopters are reportedly at the scene at Hess Bank, Lancashire.

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