A second body has been recovered from the sea off Withernsea, East Yorkshire, as the search for a third missing person resumed and later concluded. Humberside police confirmed the body was retrieved on Friday evening, following the earlier death of a 67-year-old man who was pulled unconscious from the water but later died.
Emergency services were called to the area just after 3pm on Friday. The search was suspended at 12.30am on Saturday but resumed at dawn, with HM Coastguard, Yorkshire ambulance service and Humberside fire and rescue involved. Police said the circumstances surrounding both deaths are not believed to be suspicious.
HM Coastguard stated: “Efforts will resume at first light, when coastguard rescue teams along with partner agencies will be sent to conduct additional searches of the area.” The force urged the public to avoid the area to allow emergency services to work efficiently.
Rescuers faced “horrendous conditions”, with waves reportedly reaching almost 3 metres (10ft). Darrin Stevens, a photographer living 250 metres from the coast, described the weather as bitter and freezing, noting the sea was “very dangerous” and that anyone in the water “do not have long”.
The RNLI issued advice warning of cold water shock, with average sea temperatures around the UK and Ireland currently between 6C and 10C. Gareth Morrison, RNLI head of water safety, urged anyone entering the water to be aware of the dangers and check conditions carefully.
The incident follows the death of a 51-year-old man who died in the sea at Brighton on New Year’s Day. Sussex police were alerted at 10.35am on Thursday after the swimmer, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, was recovered from the water west of Brighton Palace Pier.
