Two people have died after being pulled from the sea off a popular surfing beach in the Cornish resort of Newquay.
A man and a woman were pronounced dead at Fistral Beach after a large emergency response involving coastguards, a rescue helicopter, an RNLI lifeboat, paramedics and police.
Newquay, which was busy with holidaymakers over the weekend, is preparing to host next week’s Boardmasters festival, a five-day celebration of music, surfing and skateboarding.
Devon and Cornwall police said the victims’ families had been informed and a file would be prepared for the coroner.
“Police were called by the South Western ambulance service at around ۹.۴۵pm on Sunday ۲۶ July, following reports that two people had been recovered from the water at Fistral beach, Newquay,” a police spokesperson said.
“Emergency services attended and a cordon was put in place. Sadly, a man and a woman were pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Elsewhere, two men were pulled from the sea at West Wittering in West Sussex. One was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was taken to hospital.
Sussex police were called to the beach at about ۲.۳۰pm on Sunday. Officers said the men were not believed to have known each other.
The incidents came amid renewed warnings from water safety experts about the dangers of outdoor swimming after a spate of deaths this summer.
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Heather Massey, an associate professor in extreme environments and physiology at the University of Portsmouth, urged parents to ensure children swam only at supervised beaches with lifeguards and understood what to do if they or someone else got into difficulty.
The RNLI also advised people to choose beaches patrolled by lifeguards and, if they found themselves struggling in the water, to “float to live” by relaxing and breathing normally, tilting their head back and submerging their ears while using their hands to stay afloat. Once calm, they should call for help or swim to safety.
