MADRID — Spain says a vast flotilla of jellyfish has stung hundreds of swimmers on Mediterranean beaches in recent days.
Juan Carlos Castellanos, an official in the town hall of Elche on the Costa Blanca, said 700 people were attacked over three days starting Sunday at three nearby beaches, where normally just a handful get stung daily. He said the beaches were free of the blobby creatures Wednesday, however.
Castellanos said this particular invasion involved a small, almost transparent species that most swimmers probably could not even detect as it floated in a large but dispersed group along three beaches.
Spanish marine biologists say that in general they are seeing fewer jellyfish this summer than in other years.