BEACH HORROR
Bodies of three women pulled from sea at Brighton beach as emergency crews and coastguard swarm shoreline
THE bodies of three women were tragically pulled from the sea at Brighton beach this morning.
Emergency services scrambled to the scene in Sussex in the early hours after bodies were spotted in the sea.
Emergency services were called to concerns for the welfare of three women in the sea near Brighton Pier at around 5.45am this morning.
Sussex Police said they are working to figure out what happened and who the women are.
The public have been urged to steer clear of the beach as cops investigate.
A major search was launched for the women, with coastguard boats scouring the water and a helicopter circulating in the sky above.
Eight police cars and vans are on the scene, with a cordon put up to stop people going on a section of the beach by the car park.
Officers can be seen manning the stretch by Brighton Marina.
Cops said: “Emergency services were called to concerns for the welfare of three women in the sea off Brighton at around 5.45am this morning.
“Sadly, the bodies of three women were recovered from the water near Madeira Drive.”
They are not searching for anyone else, they said in a press conference.
Chief Superintendent Adam Hays added: “This is a tragic incident and fast-moving enquiries are ongoing to confirm the identities of these three women and understand exactly what has happened.
“I know this is concerning for the community, but I would ask the public to stay away from the scene at this time while emergency services continue their work.
“We will provide further updates as soon as they are available.”
A local nightclub worker told The Sun the young women had been to Quarters, a beachfront club in Brighton.
Quarters runs a weekly event called CU Next Tuesday which finishes at 4am.
Yesterday’s club night was billed as David Attenborough’s 100th birthday bash.
Early morning sea swimming in Brighton is very popular with dozens of people taking to the waves each day.
One local said: “I live at the marina and I came down here to feed the birds at 6am and saw all the emergency services.
“It’s extremely windy, cold and choppy in the waters today so I’m not sure why anyone would have been in the sea.
“The conditions would’ve probably been strong enough to push them from near Brighton Palace Pier.”
Another walker said: “It’s absolutely tragic. I heard they were found close to the shore and pulled out but nothing could be done to save them.
“There were loads of ambulances and police here from very early.
“The conditions are not right for sea swimming today. It is very, very windy and there is a strong current that pushes people east from the pier.
“It is not inconceivable the women went into the sea near the Brighton Palace Pier around half a mile away and got pushed this way. This just goes to show how dangerous it can be.”
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/39090907/women-bodies-beach/
