The crimson tide of Chile prawns: Mystery as millions of dead shrimps wash ashore and dye beach bright red



Officials investigating after creatures appeared on beach in the town of Coronel, 330 miles south of Santiago



Fisherman have blamed two nearby coal-fired power stations which they say have heated the waters




An investigation has been launched after millions of dead shrimp were washed ashore close to two coal-fired power stations on the coast of Chile, turning the beach bright red.



Environmental officials say they are investigating after dead the creatures appeared on a beach in the town of Coronel, some 330 miles south of the capital, Santiago.



Local fishermen have blamed the Bocamina 1 and 2 plants owned by regional power generator Endesa, and the Santa Maria plant controlled by Chilean power company Colbun, which they say have heated the waters, endangering their livelihood.



Mystery: Washed-up shrimps turn the beach red at 'Caleta Rojas' in the twon of Coronel town, some 540 km southwest of Santiago

A local shows a handful of the shrimps washed ashore. Fishermen say a nearby power station has heated the water and may be the cause of the disaster

'I'm 69 years old and started fishing when I was nine but, as a fisherman, I never saw a disaster of this magnitude,' Gregorio Ortega told local Radio Bio Bio.

Hundreds of dead crabs also washed up in the same area over the weekend.



'We're going to be collecting as much evidence as possible to determine if this is an environmental crime,' Ana Maria Aldana, prosecutor for environmental crimes, told state television.



Examination: Men sift through some of the shrimps washed ashore which many believe was due to water released form the thermoelectric plants located nearby

A local man piles up many of the shrimp that were washed ashore next to a thermoelectric powerstation in Chile

An official at Colbun declined to comment. A spokesman for Endesa said the company was aware of the issue and would issue a statement later.

Chile's energy intensive mining industry is clamouring for more power.



Some analysts say the country must triple its capacity in just 15 years, despite having no domestic oil or natural gas.



Chile imports 97 per cent of its fossil fuels and depends largely on hydropower for electricity, creating a crisis when droughts drain reservoirs or far-away disputes affect fuel imports.

