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.
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(c) Sky News 2026: Bodies of three women recovered from sea off Brighton
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