Bodies of three women recovered from sea off Brighton

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

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

Ambulance crews and critical care paramedics attended the scene, but despite the best efforts of all those involved, they were declared dead at the scene, South East Coast Ambulance Service said.

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

In a news briefing, Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said: "This is a tragic incident and we are at the very early stages of our enquiries. Our priority right now is to identify all three women and contact their next of kin."

He confirmed that the coastguard are not searching for anyone else, but that police are "gathering and reviewing CCTV in the surrounding area".

The beach was due to remain closed east of Black Rock railway car park for at least the rest of the afternoon.

In an earlier statement, Chief Supt 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 services continue their work".

Councillor Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton and Hove council, said she was "shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the deaths" and that her heart went out to the friends and family of the women.

She thanked emergency services for their "quick response" and said: "It is heart-breaking that their recovery efforts have ended in such tragic circumstances."