Three members of one family have died after getting into difficulty in the sea near Shoreham-by-Sea, with a fourth relative, a young girl, remaining in critical condition in hospital. Sussex Police confirmed the dead as a man, a woman and a teenage girl, following a major emergency response on Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency crews were alerted shortly after 15:00 BST to reports that four people were struggling in the water close to Shoreham Port. According to Brighton and Hove News, HM Coastguard's response began at around 14:45 BST, with Shoreham RNLI tasked roughly 15 minutes later, closely matching the timeline given by South East Coast Ambulance Service, which said it was called shortly after 15:00 BST and sent multiple ambulance crews to the scene. A second outlet reported that the emergency call came in at about 2.40pm, while HM Coastguard's own live update, cited by a national broadcaster's rolling coverage, put its response at around 2.45pm — slightly earlier than some reports that placed the alert closer to 3pm or 4pm.
What happened during the rescue effort?
A wide-ranging emergency operation was launched involving coastguard teams, RNLI lifeboats, air ambulances, police officers and paramedics. Onlookers reported an unusually large convergence of emergency vehicles and aircraft along the seafront as the response unfolded. All four family members were eventually brought to shore by the rescue teams.
A spokesperson for Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex confirmed that both of its helicopters, along with a critical care team, were dispatched to assist. Shoreham RNLI said its lifeboat had been called out at 15:00 BST, while South East Coast Ambulance Service stated it had responded to "reports of four people in need of medical attention." According to a report by the Mirror, the Shoreham lifeboat launched at about 2.50pm, with two further lifeboats launched from Brighton shortly after 3pm. HM Coastguard also said it deployed a helicopter alongside specialist rescue teams from Littlehampton, Shoreham and Newhaven, according to the same national broadcaster's live coverage, underlining the scale of the multi-agency response.
How did the family come to be in the water?
Chief Superintendent James Collis said police believe all four family members had entered the sea directly from land intending to swim before running into trouble. He said relatives of those who died had been informed and were now being supported by specially trained officers.
"At this point, we believe all four entered the water from the land for a swim, and sadly got into difficulty," he said.
Ch Supt Collis added that coastguard teams had carried out a thorough search of the water and were no longer looking for any other missing individuals, according to both Sussex Police and a report by a national news outlet, which corroborated the account that the family had entered the sea together before getting into difficulty. He also offered his condolences directly, saying: "Our thoughts are with the friends and family. I know this incident will have a profound effect on the community."
He acknowledged the incident had deeply affected the surrounding community and appealed for anyone with information to come forward, noting that investigators were still working to establish the full circumstances. He also thanked the public for their patience during the response, according to the same national outlet's report.
Reports placed the incident close to Shoreham Fort, near the harbour entrance rather than farther along the beach, according to a report by the Telegraph, which also noted that multiple ambulances and two air ambulances were seen near the RNLI station during the response.
What was the scene like for local residents?
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic and distressing scene as emergency vehicles and helicopters descended on the seafront. A local reporter, Callum French, noted that despite otherwise warm weather, the sea itself had become notably rough due to strong winds, calling the scale of the emergency response one of the largest he had witnessed in the area. A separate resident described the water as "incredibly rough" and the winds as "incredibly strong" at the time of the incident.
Resident Shirley Pumfrey recalled the extraordinary scale of the operation.
"I have never seen them do that. The whole road was just full of emergency services," she said. "It was horrific and quite scary to see that many."
Steve Chapman, who lives across from the beach, said he was unable to access his own street because it had been cordoned off by police.
"There were all sorts of rumours flying around, it was very upsetting," he said.
Another local resident, Pete Book, said he encountered the unfolding response while walking home from a nearby pub, describing ambulances, coastguard vehicles and helicopters converging rapidly on the area. Shelley Ayres, who also lives opposite the beach, remarked on how unusual the sea conditions had become.
"The sea has been very calm for months and months, but today it has got a lot rougher," she said.
A stretch of the A259, a major commuter route passing through Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing, was closed as emergency services managed the scene. A road was blocked in both directions between New Road and Kingston Lane while the operation continued, and, according to a report by LBC, the public was urged to stay clear of the area for the duration of the response. Police had earlier urged the public to avoid the area entirely while the operation was under way, a request echoed in ongoing live coverage from a national broadcaster.
How has the local community responded?
Tom Rutland, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, had initially asked residents to keep away from the area while emergency teams worked. Following confirmation of the deaths, he said his thoughts were with the family and friends of those who had died, adding that the wider Shoreham community would be hoping for the recovery of the young girl still receiving hospital treatment. He also thanked the emergency services, saying they had "responded swiftly" and "worked tirelessly in exceptionally difficult circumstances."
Shoreham Port said it was coordinating with multiple agencies involved in the response and also asked members of the public to steer clear of the area while operations continued.
Is this part of a wider pattern of sea tragedies?
The Shoreham incident follows a series of water-related deaths in the region and beyond in recent months. In May, three sisters from Uxbridge — Jane Adetoro, Christina Walter and Rebecca Walter — died after getting into difficulty in the sea off Brighton Beach, prompting tributes and a police investigation. In August, a 24-year-old man died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Camber Sands, further east along the Sussex coast. Beyond Sussex, a 12-year-old boy drowned in the River Lea near Hackney Marshes in north-east London at the weekend, and in April a woman and her young child died after getting into difficulty in the water at Elthorne Park in Ealing, west London.
What happens next?
Sussex Police have asked anyone with relevant information or footage of the incident to come forward, according to reporting from a national news outlet, indicating that the investigation into the exact circumstances remains active. No further searches are under way, but officers continue to piece together the sequence of events that led to the tragedy near Shoreham Fort and Shoreham Harbour. The surviving girl remains in hospital in critical condition, and her ongoing medical treatment is expected to be the most immediate development in the coming days.
Key Facts
- Three family members - a man, a woman and a teenage girl - died after entering the sea near Shoreham Port on Tuesday.
- A younger girl from the same family remains in hospital in critical condition.
- Emergency services were alerted at some point between roughly 14:40 and 15:00 BST, according to differing accounts, with HM Coastguard's own response beginning at around 14:45 BST.
- Both Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex helicopters and a critical care team were deployed, alongside RNLI lifeboats from Shoreham and Brighton and coastguard rescue teams from Littlehampton, Shoreham and Newhaven.
- A stretch of the A259 between New Road and Kingston Lane was closed, and coastguard teams have concluded searching for further casualties.
