The bodies of three women have been recovered from the sea in Brighton.
Sussex Police was called at around 5.45am today following concerns for the welfare of the trio.
Their bodies were later discovered in the water near Madeira Drive.
The force said it is making ‘fast-moving’ enquiries to confirm the identities of the women and to discover what happened.
Two bodies are understood to have been removed with one woman still lying on the pebbles, covered by an orange body bag with two police officers standing over.
Officers are currently standing guard by a cordon on a section of the seafront close to Brighton Marina. A large number of patrol cars and a police van are stationed in a nearby car park.
People have been urged to stay away from the scene while police carry out their investigation.
This morning there were more than a dozen police officers, police vans and cars as well as HM Coastguard Search and Rescue officers and equipment at the scene.
Police officers and patrol cars in Madeira Drive, Brighton, after the bodies of three women were pulled from the water
RNLI crews from Brighton Lifeboat and Shoreham All-weather were also involved in the search
Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said: ‘This is a tragic incident and fast-moving enquiries are ongoing to confirm the identities of these three women and understand exactly what has happened.
‘I know this is concerning for the community, but I would ask the public to stay away from the scene at this time while emergency services continue their work.
‘We will provide further updates as soon as they are available.’
One walker said: ‘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.
‘The conditions are not right for sea swimming today. It is very, very windy and there is a strong current that pushes people east from the pier.
‘It is not inconceivable the women went into the sea near the Brighton Palace Pier around half a mile away and got pushed this way. This just goes to show how dangerous it can be.’
Brighton is busy with visitors at present with the Brighton Festival in full swing featuring music, partying, theatre and other events.
One resident speculated the women may have gone for a late night swim and got into difficulty.
She said: ‘People in high spirits sometimes decide to go for a swim late at night. With the festival on at the moment I suppose these poor women may have decided on a late night dip with tragic results. They may have gone into the sea closer to the pier and got into trouble.’
An HM Coastguard helicopter was seen hovering above the water earlier this morning, as well as Coastguard Rescue Teams from Shoreham, Newhaven, Littlehampton and Birling Gap.
An HM Coastguard helicopter was seen hovering above the water earlier this morning
Officers are currently standing guard by a cordon on a section of the seafront close to Brighton Marina
Three RNLI crews from Brighton Lifeboat and Shoreham All-weather were also involved in the search after they were launched at around 6am.
The lifeboats have since been stood down.
Bella Sankey, the leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said she was ‘shocked and deeply saddened’ to hear that three women had died.
‘My heart goes out to the friends and family of these women and on behalf of Brighton & Hove, I send sincere condolences,’ she said.
Chris Ward, the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said it was ‘deeply tragic news and understandably very concerning for our community and everyone affected’.
‘I would like to thank our emergency services for their swift response and the difficult work they continue to carry out at the scene,’ he added.
Early morning sea swimming in Brighton is very popular with dozens of people taking to the waves each day – some members of sea swimming clubs.
However conditions this morning are very windy with a strong easterly wind causing a choppy sea with a strong riptide moving west to east.
