Three family members die after getting into difficulty off Sussex coast

On a Tuesday afternoon in August, four members of the same family waded into the sea off Shoreham-by-Sea for what should have been an ordinary swim. By the time emergency services arrived, three of them were dead. The fourth—a young girl—lay in hospital in critical condition, fighting for her life.

The call came in around 14:40 BST. Four people were in difficulty in the water near Shoreham Port, the Sussex coast. What followed was one of the largest emergency responses the area had seen in recent memory. Coastguard crews, RNLI lifeboats, two air ambulances with critical care teams, police officers, and ambulance crews converged on the seafront. The A259, a main commuter road running through Brighton, Shoreham, and Worthing, was closed. Helicopters circled overhead. The scale of the response was impossible to miss.

Witnesses watched in shock as emergency vehicles filled the roads. Shirley Pumfrey, a resident, said she had never seen anything like it. "The whole road was just full of emergency services. It was horrific and quite scary to see that many." Steve Chapman, who lives opposite the beach, found his street cordoned off and couldn't get home. Pete Book was walking back from the pub when he saw the ambulances, coastguard crews, and helicopters all moving toward the same point on the shore. BBC reporter Callum French, who covered the scene, described it as the biggest turnout of emergency services he had ever witnessed.

The sea that day was rough. High winds had churned the water into something dangerous, even though the air was warm and the weather seemed inviting. Shelley Ayres, another beach resident, noted the contrast: the sea had been calm for months, but on this Tuesday it had turned violent. Police later said they believed all four family members had entered the water from the land intending to swim, and then got into difficulty. Coastguards completed an extensive search of the water and confirmed they were not searching for anyone else.

Chief Superintendent James Collis of Sussex Police said relatives had been informed and were being supported by specialist officers. He described the incident as having had a profound effect on the local community. Inquiries were ongoing to understand the full details of what happened. The death of three family members—a man, a woman, and a teenage girl—and the critical condition of a younger girl left Shoreham reeling. East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tom Rutland said his thoughts were with the family and friends of those who had died, and he urged the community to hope and pray for the recovery of the young girl still fighting in hospital.

For now, the investigation continues. The sea has calmed again. But the question of why four people who went in for a swim came out so differently—three not at all—remains unanswered.