Image: Brighton beach near Madeira Drive

Bodies of three women recovered from sea off Brighton

· Sky News

The bodies of three women were recovered from the sea in Brighton early today, Sussex Police have said.

Emergency services were called at around 5.45am to concerns for the welfare of three women in the sea off Brighton, with three bodies being retrieved near Madeira Drive.

The RNLI said the Brighton lifeboat and Shoreham all-weather lifeboat were launched this morning around 6am, but they have since been stood down.

Police are conducting "fast-moving" enquiries to confirm the identities of the women and understand exactly what has happened.

Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said that while the incident will be "concerning for the community... I would ask the public to stay away from the scene at this time while emergency service continue their work".

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