Three members of the same family were confirmed dead after getting into difficulty in the water off Shoreham-by-Sea on Tuesday.

Sussex police noted that the victims included a couple and their teenage daughter, adding that a younger girl from the same family was also in hospital in critical condition.

An online video showed many ambulances in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, near the RNLI station on Tuesday afternoon.

Chief superintendent James Collis, who addressed journalists about the incident, said emergency services were called after reports of four people in difficulty in the water near Shoreham Fort around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to Mr Collis, police believed all four people entered the water from land for a swim.

“Sussex Police supported His Majesty’s Coast Guard and the RNLI as all four people were brought to shore. Tragically, despite the best efforts of paramedics, three people—a man, a woman, and a teenage girl—were sadly confirmed deceased.

“A younger girl has been taken to hospital and is in critical condition. We can confirm all four people were from the same family, and their next of kin have been informed,” Mr Collis stated.

The police said coastguards had completed an extensive search of the water, adding that the incident had a profound effect on the local community.