Three members of the same family, including a teenage girl, have died after getting into difficulty in the water off Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex.
A younger girl who was also pulled from the water remains in critical condition in hospital.
Sussex Police said the four people were members of the same family and that their next of kin had been informed. The identities of those who died have not yet been released.
Emergency crews race to seaside town
The emergency response began shortly before 3pm on Tuesday after fishermen reported seeing four people struggling in the water.
Coastguard teams, lifeboats, ambulances and two helicopters were sent to the area near Shoreham Fort.
Images from the scene showed a major emergency operation, with around eight ambulances positioned along the shore and air ambulances landing nearby.
Emergency crews remained at the scene for several hours before a police cordon was removed shortly before 9pm.
Witness describes desperate rescue attempt
A witness said two children initially got into trouble in the water before their parents entered the sea in an apparent attempt to help them.
One fisherman is understood to have managed to pull one of the children from the water before raising the alarm.
Police later said their preliminary assessment was that all four family members had entered the water from the shore intending to swim before encountering difficulties.
Chief Superintendent James Collis confirmed during a Tuesday evening press conference that coastguard teams were not searching for any additional people in the water.
Three people pronounced dead
Sussex Police said paramedics made extensive efforts to save the victims but three people were ultimately pronounced dead.
The force said the deceased were a man, a woman and a teenage girl.
A younger girl survived the incident but was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Specialist officers have been assigned to support the family as authorities continue to establish exactly what happened.
Coastguard and lifeboat crews deployed
The RNLI said its lifeboat crews were launched at around 2.50pm after the emergency was reported.
Two additional lifeboats were subsequently launched from Brighton shortly after 3pm.
HM Coastguard also dispatched a helicopter, alongside Coastguard Rescue Teams from Littlehampton, Shoreham and Newhaven.
The scale of the response reflected the seriousness of the incident, with emergency services continuing operations at the beach throughout the afternoon and evening.
Roads closed as emergency response continued
The incident prompted significant disruption around the seaside area.
The A259 Brighton Road, which runs alongside the beach, was closed in both directions between New Road and Kingston Lane while emergency services worked at the scene.
Shoreham-by-Sea is around a 20-minute drive from Brighton, and the large emergency presence remained visible for hours after the initial call.
Witnesses recall sudden emergency operation
Local witnesses described seeing the response rapidly escalate after the initial lifeboat was launched.
Gary and Victoria Flint, who had taken their children to the beach, said they arrived at around 3pm and soon heard the lifeboat siren.
Victoria said they watched the lifeboat leave before it returned roughly 20 minutes later, followed by a growing number of ambulances and air ambulances.
Another witness told ITV News that they saw police officers near the Coastguard tower examining belongings believed to have belonged to those involved.
Local MP expresses grief
Tom Rutland, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, described the incident as a tragedy and said he had been briefed by Sussex Police and Shoreham RNLI about the emergency response.
He expressed his condolences to the relatives of those who died and said the local community would be hoping for the recovery of the younger girl receiving treatment in hospital.
Investigation launched into circumstances
Sussex Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
At this stage, authorities believe the four family members entered the water voluntarily for a swim before getting into difficulty.
Police said the family’s next of kin had been informed and specialist officers were providing support to them.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims, while the younger girl’s condition remains critical as the investigation continues.
