A devastating water incident near Shoreham-by-Sea has left a family grieving after three of its members died and a younger girl was left in critical condition in hospital.
Emergency services were called to the area close to Shoreham Fort in West Sussex at around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, after reports that four people were in difficulty in the water. Sussex Police, His Majesty’s Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), ambulance crews and two helicopters were involved in the emergency response.
All four people were eventually brought ashore, but despite efforts by paramedics, a man, a woman and a teenage girl were pronounced dead. A younger girl from the same family was taken to hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
Police confirmed that the four people were members of the same family and said their next of kin had been informed. Specialist officers are supporting the family as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Chief Superintendent James Collis said the emergency response had been extensive and confirmed that investigators currently believe all four family members entered the water from land intending to swim before getting into difficulty.
The Coastguard carried out an extensive search of the surrounding water following the incident. Authorities later confirmed that the search had concluded and that there was no indication that anyone else was missing.
The tragedy has deeply affected the Shoreham community, with witnesses describing difficult conditions in the area at the time. Although parts of the harbour were reportedly relatively calm, residents and fishermen said the water further out was considerably rougher, with strong winds and choppy conditions.
Fishermen in the area reportedly raised the alarm after noticing a young girl in the water. Emergency responders then worked to locate and rescue those who were in distress.
Shoreham Fort stands near the entrance to Shoreham Harbour, where the River Adur meets the sea. The location is familiar to local residents and has attracted swimmers and visitors, particularly during warmer weather. However, changing conditions can make open water hazardous, particularly beyond calmer sections close to the harbour.
The incident has prompted renewed attention to the dangers associated with swimming in coastal waters. Conditions at sea can change rapidly, and areas that appear calm from the shore can become significantly more dangerous further out.
Sussex Police have launched an investigation, known as Operation North, to establish the full circumstances of what happened. Officers are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or captured relevant photographs or video footage to come forward.
Authorities have stressed that their inquiries remain ongoing and that there is no suggestion at this stage that anyone else is missing.
For the family at the centre of the tragedy, however, the investigation follows an immeasurable loss. Three lives have been lost in a single incident, while a young girl remains critically ill in hospital.
The wider Shoreham community is also being left to process the heartbreaking events, with emergency responders, witnesses and residents affected by the scale of the tragedy.
As investigators continue working to understand exactly how the family came into difficulty, thoughts remain with the surviving child, her relatives and everyone affected by the loss of the three family members.
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