At least 19 Chinese shellfish hunters are now known to have died after they were caught by a fast-rising tide in while fishing on the British coast.
The victims, 16 men and two women and one body yet to be identified, were among a group of Chinese people working in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, last night.
A group of around 25 cockle gatherers were cut off from the shore late last night as they searched for the delicacy on the northwest coast of England. Ten were found safe on the shoreline overnight after making their own way out of the treacherous waters.
Morecambe Bay is notoriously dangerous, with fast rising tides and quicksands.
The first body was spotted in the Silverdale area shortly after 4 a.m. by an RAF helicopter. A land-based search team then spotted another two bodies in the same area as the tide receded. Coastguards said up to ten more bodies were recovered later, although exact figures were not confirmed.
In August last year, police arrested 37 Chinese people in the Chatsworth area of Morecambe after concerns were raised about the scale of cockle picking on the sands at Morecambe Bay.
Cockle picking is not illegal but locals complained that gangs from Britain were flocking to Morecambe Bay, eager to get their hands on the lucrative shellfish, which are mostly sold abroad.