Beachy Head 'chemical haze': Source of mist that left 132 hospitalised still a mystery
THE source of a chemical cloud that left 132 people needing hospital treatment remained a mystery today.
Misty skies above Beachy Head during gas leak evacuation
The chlorine-like haze came ashore at Beachy Head and Birling Gap in East Sussex on Sunday afternoon as hundreds enjoyed the Bank Holiday sunshine on the sands.
An unidentified chemical left sunbathers suffering from stinging eyes, vomiting and breathing difficulties.
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.”
The chlorine-like haze came ashore at Beachy Head and Birling Gap on Sunday afternoon
This seems to have been caused by an unknown haze coming in from the sea but the source has not yet been established
In January 2013, a foul-smelling gas cloud prompted thousands of calls to the emergency services in Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Hampshire after drifting across the English Channel.
The accidental discharge of mercaptan, an additive used in municipal gas to alert people to leaks, from a factory in Rouen caused headaches, nausea and a political panic in France.
The plume reached as far north as south-east London and led to experts from the Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards in Oxfordshire being scrambled.
Police said the first call from Birling Gap on Sunday was just before 5pm
Police said the first call from Birling Gap on Sunday was just before 5pm.
The plume moved east to Bexhill.
Coastguard rescue teams cleared the beaches as visitors feared a chlorine leak.
Police said it was 'very unlikely' that it came from France
But police tonight said it was “very unlikely” that it came from France.
Sussex Police said: “Neither the gas nor its source have been established but agencies are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out either onshore or off-shore locations, although it does appear that it did sweep in from the sea driven by on-shore breezes.
“However, weather models suggest that an onshore source in northern France is very unlikely.”