The bodies of three women have been recovered from the sea off Brighton early today, Sussex Police have said.
Emergency services were called at around 5.45am due to concerns for the welfare of three women in the sea off Brighton, with three bodies being retrieved near Madeira Drive.
Ambulance crews and critical care paramedics attended the scene, but despite the best efforts of all those involved, they were declared deceased at the scene, South East Coast Ambulance Service said.
The RNLI said the Brighton lifeboat and Shoreham all-weather lifeboat had been launched at around 6am this morning, but that they have since been stood down.
Police are conducting "fast-moving" enquiries to confirm the identities of the women and understand exactly what has happened.
Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said that while the incident will be "concerning for the community... 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," he added.
Councillor Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton and Hove council, said she was "shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the deaths" and that her heart went out to the friends and family of the women.
She thanked emergency services for their "quick response" and said, "It is heart-breaking that their recovery efforts have ended in such tragic circumstances".
Sussex Police are due to hold a news briefing on the incident in the next hour.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
(c) Sky News 2026: Bodies of three women recovered from sea off Brighton
The working class extrovert who wants to be Labour leader - who is Wes Streeting?
Murder investigation as pedestrian struck by car in Nottinghamshire dies in hospital
Scottish man jailed in Ukraine after admitting spying for Russia
Starmer should put Burnham in the cabinet to create a 'team of all the talents', says Harman
Teacher accused of baby murder told police 'I will fight you til the day I die'
Princess of Wales: 'Really significant moment' as royal makes first official foreign trip since 2022
Met Police touts success of live facial recognition trial after woman wanted for more than 20 years is arrested in London
'Alarmingly high' levels of salt in popular sandwiches - with one nearing five McDonald's burgers
Paedophile who faked being a 'non-verbal' wheelchair user is jailed
