Man, 18, dies after getting into difficulty in sea

A man has died after getting into difficulty in the sea on Sunday, emergency services have confirmed.

Sussex Police said it was called to Camber Sands beach in East Sussex just before 19:00 BST on Sunday evening to reports that three people had got into difficulty.

An 18-year-old man was pulled from the water about 30 minutes later, but despite attempts by paramedics, he was pronounced dead a short time later. Police said his next of kin have been informed.

Two other people - a 16-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man - safely returned to shore, the force added.

The three were known to each other and had travelled to the beach from London, according to police.

The coastguard also responded, along with Pett Level lifeboat and South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Stuart Ross Thomson said he was staying at property overlooking the beach with his family when the "harrowing" incident took place.

"It breaks my heart, to be fair. It's such a heartbreaking situation to watch," the former lifeguard said.

"You're seeing the family members distraught, crying, it's hard to watch. Unfortunately it's the reality of being close to the ocean."

He said there was another separate incident shortly before the man's death.

"You can't commend the [emergency] services more," he said.

"There were helicopters, boats, people doing crowd control. There was so much going on here, it was really top notch."

Lorraine, who works at the nearby Marina Cafe, said she was sitting at the bar when she heard "loads of screaming".

"It is something that we all feel as Camber residents and I think it's shaken us all today a bit more," she said on Monday.

A police spokesperson confirmed inquiries in the area remained ongoing, and there was an increased emergency presence.

The force said there were no suspicious circumstances behind the death and it would be looked at by a coroner.

The man who died was initially reported to have been 24 years old, but was later said to have been 18.

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