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.
Follow latest: Police give update
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
OpenAI trial: Sam Altman insists he's trustworthy in riposte to Elon Musk
Who is 'King of the North' and would-be prime minister Andy Burnham?
UK's Eurovision act to feature special 'mega synthesiser'
Cut employee national insurance to win back voters, Labour report says
Israel passes law setting up military tribunal which can sentence 7 October attackers to death
Wordle to launch as TV game show with Savannah Guthrie as host and Jimmy Fallon co-producing
