Twenty one bodies have been found, but 23 may have died

A 27-year-old from Liverpool is charged with manslaughter and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Two other suspects from Liverpool also face charges relating to the deaths and all three appeared before Lancaster magistrates on Thursday.

The workers drowned on 5 February this year when they were caught on mudflats by a fast-rising tide.

'Detailed investigation'

All three suspects had been arrested earlier in the year and released on bail for further inquiries.

They were rearrested on Tuesday and questioned at police stations in Lancashire.

Det Supt Mick Gradwell, leading the inquiry, insisted that the events of 5 February remained the subject of a "detailed criminal investigation".

The events as they unfolded must have been a harrowing experience for the survivors Coroner Howard McCann

He said: "This does not signal the end of the investigation as a number of other people remain on police bail."

Lin Liang Ren, 27, is charged with manslaughter, conspiracy to commit facilitation and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Zhao Qing Xiao, 19, also known as Eva, is charged with conspiracy to commit facilitation and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Both live at the same address in Lemon Street, Liverpool.

Lin Mu Yong, 29, of Crete Towers, Liverpool, is charged with conspiracy to commit facilitation.

Rescue

An inquest into the deaths was opened and adjourned at Lancaster Magistrates' Court last week.

The police team that identified the victims told coroner Howard McCann they believed 23 people died in the tragedy, although only 21 bodies were recovered.

Twenty of the victims were from Fujian, one was from Liaoning

A list of names of the 21, who were from the Fujian and Liaoning provinces of China, was read out before the court.

Adjourning the inquest until a later date, Mr McCann paid tribute to the work of those who rescued 15 survivors.

He said: "The events as they unfolded must have been a harrowing experience for the survivors of the tragedy, those involved in the rescue and those involved in the aftercare."