Denia, Spain Jellyfish Outbreak Terrorizes Town

Several beaches in Spain have been closed to bathers after groups of Mauve Stinger jellyfish have appeared across the coast, according to the Telegraph.

On Thursday, the Red Cross treated 50 people in a half hour for stings on the beach in Denia, a resort on the eastern Mediterranean coast. In 2008, 4,000 people were treated for stings in that town.

Denia is a popular resort on the Costa Blanca, which attracts roughly two million foreigners a year, 40% of whom are British.

The Environment Ministry of Spain has sent out patrol boats to monitor the coastline.

Overfishing and global warming have given rise to the number of jellyfish in the region, and each summer thousands of tourists receive treatment for stings.

Across Spain, posters can be seen at beaches in as part of "Plan Medusa," which instructs bathers how to avoid and treat jellyfish stings.

Spain's Ministry of Environment said in a statement: "The exact reasons to explain jellyfish blooms are currently under research. They seem to be increasing in recent years and the most likely causes suggested are the decline of natural predators such as turtle and tuna; changes in climatic factors such as rainfall or global temperature; hydrographic peculiarities of the area, as well as pollution from land based sources."