Three members of a family, including a man, woman, and teenage girl, died following a water incident at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, on Monday afternoon. A young girl from the same family remains in critical condition at a hospital.
Witnesses reported seeing four people struggling in the choppy waters around 3 p.m. local time. According to some accounts, one of the children became caught in a fishing net, which may have precipitated the tragedy. A fisherman is understood to have pulled one of the children from the water before raising the alarm.
Emergency services, including ambulances, coastguards, and air ambulances, responded rapidly to the scene. Sussex Police confirmed the deaths and stated that the next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. The force believes all four individuals entered the water for a swim and subsequently got into difficulty.
Locals indicated that the family had been camping on the harbor front nearby. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident has been launched.
This incident occurred while sea conditions were described as choppy, with a fisherman noting that the tide was high and winds were causing waves to pick up. Local Member of Parliament Tom Rutland expressed deep sadness over the event and communicated with emergency services.
Lifeboat crews were launched by the RNLI shortly before the incident was reported to the coastguard. The response involved multiple lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter, along with rescue teams from Littlehampton, Shoreham, and Newhaven.