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Benidorm beaches closed after invasion of deadly Man O’ War jellyfish leaves seven people injured
SEVEN people have now been stung by killer Portuguese Man O’War jellyfish that are invading the beaches of Benidorm.
Three beaches were closed temporarily in the Costa Blanca holiday resort yesterday after two of the deadly jellyfish-like creatures were spotted in the water.
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The first was found at Mal Pas beach, a little cove between the town’s main beaches, and the second was found at the popular Levante beach.
Portugese man o' war jellyfish are normally sighted in their usual breeding ground near the Spanish city of Cadiz - but the killer animals have been washing up on shores frequented by Brits over the past month.
The stings suffered by seven people are said to have been “minor”, although five of the seven sunbathers were taken to hospital.
It is not known if any were British or Irish.
Monica Gomez, Benidorm’s Councillor for Beaches, confirmed: “Benidorm Town Hall activated a Portuguese Man O’War protocol after two were found off town beaches.
“They were removed by lifeguards.
“As a precautionary measure bathing was banned and the red flag hoisted for an hour at the main Levante and Poniente beaches, and for more than two hours at Mal Pas beach.
What to do if you're stung by a Portuguese man o' war
- The Portuguese man o' war has long tentacles which deliver a venomous and sometimes deadly sting.
- The man o' war is not technically a jellyfish but a siphonophore, made up of a colony of tiny individual animals called zooids which work together, functioning as one animal.
- Man o' wars sting through tiny venomous nematocysts which paralyse small fish or other prey.
- Stings from a man o'war result in severe dermatitis and in rare cases can be deadly.
- The NHS says if stung by a jellyfish you should rinse the affected area with sea water and remove spines from the skin with tweezers or a bank card.
- Do not pour on vinegar, pee on the sting, apply ice or a cold pack, touch any spines with your bare hands or cover or close the wound.
- Do soak the area with very warm water, take over the counter painkillers and most importantly, get help straight away.
“Seven people were treated for minor stings caused by the jellyfish-like creatures at Mal Pas beach.
“Five were taken to Villajoyosa Hospital, as part of protocol and as a precautionary measure.
“We have acted swiftly and diligently and banned bathing until we were sure there were no more Portuguese Man O’War in the water.”
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Swimming was banned and red flags were posted on both Levante and Poniente beaches, but after a boat search failed to spot any more of the creatures the warning was lowered to a yellow level which allows swimming with caution.
The Portuguese Man O’ War is often called a jellyfish but is actually a type of siphonophore.
Their tentacles are loaded with coiled, barbed tubes that deliver venom capable of paralysing and killing small fish and crustaceans.
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They are rarely deadly to people but can be dangerous to children and elderly people, or those with asthma or allergies as they can cause fever, shock and respiratory distress.
A woman was left with excruciating marks all over her body earlier this month after being stung by one of the creatures.
Naomi Mateos, 22, was swimming at Puntas de Calnegre beach in Costa del Sol, when she became "paralysed" by a sharp sting.
She said after a two-day stay in hospital: “I felt as if fire or acid was being injected into my body.”
The terrifying tentacles wrapped around her arms, back and breasts and left her with spider-like marks all over her body.
She was swimming just ten metres from the shore in "knee deep" water when she was stung by the creature.
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