Police are still working to identify three women found dead in the sea in Brighton.
Officers were called at around 5.45am today to ‘concerns for the welfare of a person in the water’.
Three bodies were then discovered in the sea near Madeira Drive. Police have said they are not searching for anyone else.
In a statement this evening, Sussex Police said it was ‘working hard to follow up a number of lines of enquiry to identify the three women and understand exactly what has happened’.
Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said: ‘I understand the impact this tragic incident has had on the local community and more widely.
‘This is a sensitive investigation and we know the public are keen to understand the full circumstances. But our priority at this time is identifying these three women and locating their families, who at this point remain unaware they have lost loved ones.
‘I would ask for people’s patience while we conduct these enquiries and to avoid speculation while this is ongoing.’
Two bodies were this afternoon 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.
Police stand on the beach at Black Rock near Brighton Marina where the bodies of three women were pulled from the water
Police vehicles in the Black Rock car park on Madeira Drive earlier today
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 which includes scouring CCTV footage from homes and businesses.
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 are still unsure about how the women ended up in the sea or what they had been doing that evening.
Locals said Brighton Beach was particularly busy on Tuesday night with revellers spilling out onto the beachfront.
A source at the Coastguard said the women were in their late teens or early 20s and had been ‘fully clothed’ when they were pulled from the water.
It is understood they were first spotted at Brighton’s Palace Pier before drifting to the marina.
Residents explained that Quarters, a club on the beach esplanade, runs a weekly student event called CU Next Tuesday which finishes at 4am.
Billed as David Attenborough’s 100th birthday bash, last night’s event was said to have been ‘packed out’ with many students spilling out onto the beach.
Chief Superintendent Hays held a brief press conference at the scene at lunchtime where he told reporters the priority was to identify all three women and to contact their next of kin.
‘I know this incident will be highly distressing for the community and we are working hard with our partners to understand exactly what has happened,’ he said.
‘This includes gathering and viewing CCTV in the surrounding area, including the properties and the local businesses nearby.
‘Our partners of the Coast Guard have completed an extensive search of the water, and at this stage, we are not searching for anyone else.’
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.
RNLI crews on the Brighton lifeboat and Shoreham all-weather lifeboat were also involved in the search
An HM Coastguard helicopter was seen hovering above the water earlier this morning
Three RNLI lifeboats from Sussex were also involved in the search – including the Brighton lifeboat and the Shoreham all-weather lifeboat – which launched at around 6am.
They were then 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 and 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.
