Unprecedented 'red tide' crisis deepens in Chile's fishing-rich waters

The 'red tide' algal bloom, which turns the sea water red and makes seafood toxic, is believed to be one of the country's worst recent environmental crises

A "red tide" outbreak is widening in southern Chile's fishing-rich waters, the government has said, deepening what is already believed to be one of the country's worst environmental crises in recent years.

The red tide - an algal bloom that turns the seawater red and makes seafood toxic - is a common, naturally recurring phenomenon in southern Chile, but the extent of the current outbreak is unprecedented.