Two more charged over deaths of cockle pickers at Morecambe Bay

Another two men have been charged in links with the death of at least 21 Chinese cockle pickers at Morecambe Bay in northwestern England in February, police said Thursday.

David Eden, 33, director of the Liverpool Bay Fishing Company, and his father, 61, of the same name, were charged with breaches of immigration and labor law, a BBC report quoted Liverpool police as saying.

The charges were brought a week after three people from Liverpool appeared in court charged over the tragedy in which police believe 23 low-paid Chinese cockle hunters were killed by fast-rising tides at Morecambe Bay on February 5. However, only 21 bodies have been recovered.

Lin Liang Ren, 27, is charged of manslaughter, conspiracy to breach immigration law, and conspiracy to prevent the course of justice.

Both Lin Mu Yong, 29, and Zhao Qing Xiao, 19, are charged with plotting to breach immigration law. Lin Mu Yong was remanded in custody while Zhao was granted bail last week.

The bodies of the Chinese cockle pickers killed in the February tragedy may be sent back to China for burial.