Two Dead, One Missing After Sea Rescue Operation Off Withernsea
Two Die After Incident Off East Yorkshire Coast
Two people died and a third person went missing after a major search and rescue operation off the East Yorkshire coast at Withernsea on Friday afternoon.
According to Humberside Police, a 67-year-old man was pulled from the water on Friday and died at the scene. Police also confirmed that a second body was recovered from the water on Friday evening. Officers stated that the circumstances surrounding the second death were not being treated as suspicious. Police did not release the gender or age of the second person.
HM Coastguard said the incident was first reported at 15:10 GMT on Friday, following reports of a number of people in difficulty in the water at the seaside town of Withernsea. Emergency services began a large-scale response involving multiple rescue assets.
Extensive Search and Rescue Effort
HM Coastguard coordinated a major search that included a rescue helicopter, an air ambulance, and RNLI crews from Withernsea, Bridlington, and Hornsea Inshore Rescue. The operation also involved teams from Hull, Withernsea, Hornsea and Bridlington, as well as personnel from Yorkshire Ambulance and Humberside Fire and Rescue. Authorities said about 100 members of the emergency services took part in the operation.
The search was paused at about 00:30 on Saturday and resumed at first light. A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said that teams were sent back to the scene at 06:30 on Saturday to continue looking for the missing person.
HM Coastguard later confirmed that the search for the remaining missing person was stood down at 16:00 on Saturday afternoon and would not be resumed.
Eyewitness Account and Local Conditions
Eyewitness George Gouldson, 73, said he was taking photographs of the stormy sea from his car at Withernsea when the incident began. He stated that he saw people running towards the towers, a local landmark on the promenade, and then observed three people in the water. He said one of the people in the water was a female and that a man tried to throw a life ring to her, but it did not reach. Gouldson reported that the tide carried her along the length of the beach towards rocks and that the water conditions were very strong. He also said that many people attempted to reach her and that one man came out of the water, whom Gouldson helped to sit against a wall as the man appeared hypothermic.
Hornsea Inshore Rescue reported facing waves of 9.8ft (3m) during the operation. At Withernsea, snow began to fall shortly after first light on Saturday, and search teams worked in bitterly cold, windy conditions with driving snow. A yellow warning for snow and ice was in place for the east coast of England until 23:49 on Saturday.
Community Response and Police Advisory
Withernsea Methodist Church opened on Saturday morning for prayers following the incident. The Reverend Ian Greenfield said the church received messages of support from across the country and opened to allow people to pray and receive emotional support.
A police spokesperson said residents would continue to see an increased police presence in and around the area while the search operation was under way. Police requested that people avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to work efficiently and safely.
Local resident Janice Holgate, 60, travelled 17 miles (27km) from Hull to lay flowers near the scene on Saturday.