Three Family Members Die After Swimming Incident Near Shoreham Fort in West Sussex

England: Three family members have died and a younger girl is in critical condition after a family of four encountered trouble while swimming near Shoreham Fort in Shoreham-by-Sea on Tuesday, August 18. A major rescue operation was then carried out which involved coastguards, lifeboats, police, ambulances and air ambulances.

The emergency began during the afternoon and the authorities were called at around 2:40 p.m. after receiving reports about four people struggling in the water off the West Sussex coast. Sussex Police later confirmed that the family had entered the sea from the shore to swim.

The four were eventually brought out of the water, but a man, a woman and a teenage girl could not be saved. However, the younger girl was taken to hospital and she remains in critical condition.

Chief Superintendent James Collis confirmed that the deceased and the surviving girl were all members of the same family. Their relatives have been informed about this tragedy and specialist officers are also assisting them to stay informed about the incident.

Emergency respondents including HM Coastguard, RNLI crews, Sussex Police, ambulance service and air ambulance teams were sent to the area. Rescue teams from Shoreham, Littlehampton and Newhaven also joined in the rescue operation.

The A259 Brighton Road was closed in both directions between New Road and Kingston Lane due to the scale of the emergency, which also affected the traffic around that area. Authorities urged the members of the public to stay away as rescue and police activity continued.

The coastguard carried out searches in the surrounding waters after the four people were recovered. Police however, said that there was no reason to suspect that anyone else was missing.

Local residents described unfavorable conditions around the coast at that time, including strong winds and rough water. However, authorities have not yet confirmed these conditions as the cause of the incident, and inquiries are continuing to establish exactly what happened.

East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tom Rutland expressed his sadness over the deaths and offered his support to the family. 

Sussex Police are continuing their investigation and have also appealed to anyone who witnessed the incident or captured relevant footage to contact officers.