Top Malaga beaches CLOSED after swimmers suffer mystery skin reactions as red flags raised & tourists told to stay away

NewsWorld News FOUR top beaches in the Costa del Sol have been closed after tourists who swam in the sea suffered mysterious skin reactions. Visitors were told to stay out of the water in the popular holiday resort of Benalmadena after around 20 people noticed reactions on their skin on Sunday. A red flag was hoisted after bathers suffered reactions Credit: SOLARPIX.COM It comes a day after four beaches in nearby Malaga were closed to bathers following sewage and stormwater discharges caused by a surprise storm in the early hours of Saturday morning. Three of the Malaga beaches reopened on Sunday but Benalmadena Town Hall has yet to update its advice following emergency water quality tests. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Santa Ana Beach was the first Benalmadena beach to hoist a red flag on Sunday just after midday. Shortly afterwards the same decision to ban bathing was taken at three other popular beaches, Bil-Bil, Arroyo de la Miel and Los Melilleros. Tourists were banned from swimming at four popular beaches Credit: SOLARPIX.COM The cause of the skin reactions suffered by bathers is still unclear. Tests were carried out to determine whether there was any water contamination, but the results have not been made public. A yellow warning flag went up at two other beaches in Benalmadena the same day because of jellyfish. A local council spokesman said: “Benalmádena maintains the red flag and the swimming ban at several points along its coastline. Most read in The Sun “The beaches of Santa Ana, Bil-Bil, Arroyo de la Miel and Los Melilleros still have red flags up, so swimming is prohibited. “The Town Hall asks beachgoers to respect the signage and follow the instructions of the safety and rescue services at all times.” One local press report highlighted that the recent skin reaction incident happened near a stretch of coastline where a major spill occurred last year due to a ruptured pipeline. Council officials hoisted a yellow flag as a warning during the incident in May last year as the sea turned a disgusting brown colour. Ongoing clean-up work at San Andres Beach in Malaga meant a red flag was still up there following its Saturday closure. The other three Malaga beaches affected were back to normal later on Sunday. Comment now