Chincoteague, Assateague beaches closed due to 'medical waste coming ashore'

Chincoteague Public Beach in the Virginia unit and all ocean-facing beaches at Assateague Island National Seashore are closed due to medical waste coming on shore.

Here's a list of closures from Assateague Island National Seashore officials:

• North end (all of the island North of Assateague State Park) is closed to all visitor access
• Assateague Island State Park Beach is closed to swimming and wading
• All Oceanside Beaches in Assateague Island National Park are closed to swimming and wading. This includes North Beach, Oceanside Camping Beach, South Beach, the beach on the Oversand Vehicle Area and the Chincoteague Beach.

Watch: 99th annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim

All Campgrounds, trails, boardwalks, visitor centers, etc. remain open, officials said. Bayside remains open for kayaks, canoes and other water activities at this time.

National Seashore officials said the debris is trash with a large component of medical waste including syringes and needles. They believe it started coming ashore Sunday morning.

"We currently have no idea where it came from and will not be speculating about a source," the post said. "Health authorities will be investigating."

There's no word on how long the beach closures will last.

"We do not know how much more material is out there, when it will stop coming ashore, and how long it will take for cleanup," the post said.

More stories from the Eastern Shore

• Golf cart overturns on Accomack Co. man, killing him

  Web Staff

• Chincoteague, Assateague beaches closed due to 'medical waste coming ashore'

  Jay Greene

• 2 people killed in single-vehicle crash on Eastern Shore

  Adriana Horne

• Cape Charles woman dies after crashing on Route 13 in Northampton Co.

  Adriana Horne

• Concerns, questions raised ahead of VDOE's final cell phone guidance

  Anthony Sabella

• Pedestrian killed in crash on Rt. 13 in Accomack County

  Adriana Horne

• How to make the most of your back-to-school shopping trip

  Erin Miller

• Bald eagle set for release after recovering from wing fracture

  Daniella Self