WATER DISASTER 

How Brighton tragedy unfolded as cops called to beach for one woman struggling in water pull three dead from sea

TRAGEDY unfolded in Brighton yesterday after three bodies were pulled from the water – with cops now probing how their deaths happened.

Searchers discovered the bodies close to the Marina in the early hours, with police then spending the day trying to ID them.

Police and Coastguard vehicles with personnel at the scene of a sea search.
Emergency services at the scene yesterday morningCredit: Eddie Mitchell
 

Brighton Beach Body Find
Coastguard officers and Police on Brighton beachCredit: Mirrorpix
Details about what happened before that are scant, but what we do know is that cops were first called at 5.45am over concerns for one woman in the sea.

At some point after, or at the same time, the others also went into the wash with officers pulling three bodies from the water.

Detectives are understood to be probing whether the women entered the choppy 12C water close to where they were found before getting into difficulty.

The discovery of handbags and coats left abandoned on the shore suggests they took them off before getting into the water.

Four coastguards on a rocky beach, with the sea behind them.
Emergency services scrambled to the beach near Brighton MarinaCredit: Brighton Pictures
 

Emergency services on Brighton beach after the discovery of three bodies in the water.
Mystery still surrounds how the women came about their deathsCredit: Alamy
What they did before going into the sea remains a mystery.

Locals told The Sun the women had been dressed in “going-out clothes” and may have been partying near the seafront in the hours before the tragedy.

A cluster of beachfront nightclubs are a 1.5mile walk west along Brighton’s waterfront.

But the Marina is also near some smaller pubs and bars and residential housing.

Emergency services personnel on quad bikes and a police officer on a beach by the sea.
The sea is said to have been very choppy yesterday morningCredit: PA
 

RNLI boat with crew on choppy sea during a search operation.
Coastguard boats were searching the sea yesterdayCredit: Eddie Mitchell
What may have started as a big night of fun, ended in a devastating night of horror.

Sources said they are believed to have been in their late teens or early 20s.

The alarm sparked a huge emergency response along the seafront.

After the sad discovery of the three bodies, officers then began investigating the circumstances leading to their deaths.

One local, who had been feeding birds near the scene at around 6am, told The Sun: “It was extremely windy, cold and choppy in the water.

“I’m not sure why anyone would have been in the sea. What’s happened is awful.”

Another added: “It’s absolutely tragic.

“I heard they were found close to the shore and pulled out but nothing could be done to save them.

“There were loads of ambulances and police here from very early.

“It is very, very windy and there is a strong current that pushes people east from the pier.”