The search for a third missing person off the East Yorkshire coast was officially called off on Saturday afternoon, following a major rescue operation that recovered the bodies of two individuals from the sea.
Major Search Operation Launched
Emergency services were first alerted to people in difficulty in the water near the seaside town of Withernsea at 3.10pm on Friday. This triggered a large-scale multi-agency response involving HM Coastguard, Humberside Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, and RNLI lifeboat teams.
A search and rescue helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft were deployed to scour the area. Despite the efforts, a 67-year-old man was found unconscious in the water and later pronounced dead.
Search Halted by 'Horrendous Conditions'
The rescue efforts were severely hampered by dangerous sea conditions. The volunteer group Hornsea Inshore Rescue stated it was unable to launch its lifeboat due to 'horrendous conditions and three metre waves' breaking on their slipway.
Late on Friday evening, Humberside Police confirmed a second body had been recovered from the sea, adding that the 'circumstances are not believed to be suspicious'.
The search for a third person resumed at 6.30am on Saturday after being paused overnight. Coastguard Rescue Teams from Hull, Withernsea, Hornsea and Bridlington worked alongside police. However, the operation was ultimately stood down at roughly 4pm on Saturday.
Freezing Conditions and Community Impact
The tragedy occurred amidst bitterly cold weather. Temperatures in Withernsea were forecast to drop to freezing overnight, with a 'feels like' temperature of -4°C on Saturday. The local council had activated a severe weather protocol.
People were asked to avoid the area to allow emergency services to work. The incident follows a warning from the local rescue group, which had called off a planned New Year's Day swim due to unsafe sea conditions.
This incident in Yorkshire comes shortly after a separate tragedy where a 51-year-old man died after getting into difficulty in the water in Brighton.
