What emergency services have said after three women die off Brighton coastpublished at 15:26 BST
15:26 BST
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South East Ambulance Service
Shortly after 05:45 BST on Wednesday, the ambulance service said it was called to reports of “concern for the welfare of three women in the sea off Brighton”.
Ambulance crews and critical care paramedics attended and recovered three women from the water, but “despite the best efforts of all those involved, they were declared deceased at the scene,” a spokesperson said.
Sussex Police
Ch Supt Adam Hays of Sussex Police told a press conference earlier today that the force is in the very early stages of enquiries into this “tragic incident”, with the priority being to identify all three women and contact their next of kin.
He added that police are working hard with their partners to understand exactly what has happened, including reviewing CCTV footage from the surrounding area.
The beach will remain closed east of Volk’s Railway Black Rock car park for the rest of the afternoon.
HM Coastguard
A number of coastguard rescue teams from across Sussex were deployed to the area earlier today, while three RNLI lifeboats also attended.
The coastguard has completed an extensive search of the water and they are not searching for anybody else at this stage, according to Ch Supt Adam Hays.