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Shoreham-by-Sea deaths
A man, a woman and a teenage girl died after getting into difficulty in the sea off Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, while a younger girl from the same family was taken to hospital in a critical condition, Sussex police said on Tuesday.
“A man, a woman and a teenage girl died after the incident in Shoreham-by-Sea”
Chief superintendent James Collis said emergency services were called at about 2.40pm to reports of four people in difficulty in the sea close to Shoreham Port, and all four were brought to shore.
Collis said it is understood that all four got into difficulty in the water after going for a swim, and he said the coastguard is not searching for anyone else.
The BBC reported that coastguard crews, RNLI lifeboats, air ambulances, police officers and ambulance crews responded as witnesses described large numbers of emergency vehicles and helicopters arriving at the seafront.
Collis and Rutland react
Speaking at a press conference, Collis said, "At this point we believe all four entered the water from the land to swim and sadly got into difficulty," and he said partners in His Majesty’s Coastguard had completed an extensive search of the water.
The BBC said the A259 – a main commuter road which runs through Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing – was closed, and witnesses described the response as "the biggest turnout [of emergency services] I have seen".
East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tom Rutland offered condolences, saying, "My thoughts are with the family and friends of those who have lost their lives," and he said the whole community here in Shoreham would be hoping and praying for the recovery of the young girl receiving medical treatment in hospital.
A resident, Shirley Pumfrey, told the BBC, "I have never seen them do that. The whole road was just full of emergency services," describing it as "horrific and quite scary to see that many."
Ongoing inquiries and response
The BBC said coastguards have completed an extensive search of the water and are not searching for anyone else, while inquiries were ongoing to understand the full details of the incident.
“inquiries were ongoing to understand the full details”
Sussex Police said it was supporting the family’s next of kin with specialist officers, and the force urged people to stay away from the area while emergency services dealt with the incident.
The BBC reported that South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) said it had been called to "reports of four people in need of medical attention," and it described the response as including helicopters and a critical care team.
In addition to the Shoreham RNLI lifeboat called out at 3pm, the BBC said a section of the A259 was closed and that witnesses saw ambulances and helicopters converging near the seafront as police and coastguard crews carried out the response.
