A second body has been recovered from the sea off the coast of Sussex after police recovered a small rubber dinghy yesterday lunchtime.
The first victim was found off Lancing beach in west Sussex at 1.40pm yesterday.
The RNLI recovered a second body this morning. Neither of the victims are believed to have been migrants attempting to cross the channel.
The distinctive green dinghy, which did not have an engine, was loaded with a wheeled shopping trolley and a mobile phone.
Two bodies have been recovered from the Sussex coast over the past 24 hours. It is believed the victims had been using this small inflatable boat. The victims are not believed to migrants
The body of a man was recovered off the coast of West Sussex yesterday
A major search operation was launched yesterday after the body was reported into the water
On Monday, 116 people were rescued from the sea by the Coastguard and the RNLI
Police in Sussex are trying to identify the body of a man who was found in the sea off the coast of Brighton yesterday afternoon.
The man was recovered from the sea in Lancing at 1.40pm yesterday. A dinghy containing a shopping trolley and mobile phone was discovered nearby.
Sussex Police told The Argus: ‘A second body has been recovered from the sea by RNLI lifeboat crews and HM Coastguard who were searching after a dinghy was found floating empty in the sea off Shoreham on Monday (August 10).
‘The body of a man was recovered by the RNLI Shoreham lifeboat from the sea off Brighton just after 5pm on Monday afternoon.
‘He has not been formally identified at this time, but it is believed to be that of a man linked to the small, unoccupied dinghy that had been found at 1.40pm.
‘During enquiries to confirm the identity of the man it became apparent that his friend was also missing and a search continued at sea on Monday evening and resumed on Tuesday morning.
‘Around 8.45am, a body was spotted by the crew of a Coastguard helicopter and was picked up by the Shoreham lifeboat crew.
‘It has not formally identified, but is believed to be that of the missing man.
On Monday, 169 incidents were reported to the Coastguard, including 87, 999 emergency calls.
The RNLI spent nine hours searching for the second victim yesterday before resuming the operation this morning at first light.
The RNLI launched both its inshore and all-weather live boats at 6am.
As a result of the current heatwave and the difficulty of going on holiday abroad, hundreds of thousands of Britons have been flocking to the beach.
On Friday alone, the coastguard responded to 70 call-outs by mid-day, which is ‘above average for this time of year.
The Coastguard reported its busiest day for more than four years as it dealt with 329 incidents on July 31, when the UK recorded the hottest day of the year and the third warmest on record, with the mercury rising to 37.8C (100.04F) at Heathrow Airport.
Matt Leat, head of infrastructure and technology lead at HM Coastguard, said this weekend could see a similar number of call-outs as families take advantage of the heatwave.
Mr Leat urged the public not to use inflatables at the beach as they get blown out to sea, and to check the tide to keep safe and to look out for each other.
On Saturday, HM Coastguard dealt with 340 individual incidents across the UK – the highest level of call outs for four years.
On Friday, they had 329 emergency calls.
According to HM Coastguard: ‘Packed coastlines and beaches kept us very busy throughout another hot heatwave day, which saw Coastguard Rescue Teams attend 221 incidents.
‘Both the RNLI and independent lifeboats were called out on 155 occasions combined and aircraft (30 taskings) were also used to assist at the coast and sea.
‘HM Coastguard responded to 186 999 calls yesterday and coordinated search and rescue responses to a wide-range of incidents, which included people being cut off by the tide and children swept out to sea on inflatables.
I’n total, the service rescued 146 people and assisted a further 371 people.’
In figures released by the Coastguard, compared with August 2019, they are dealing with 145 per cent increase in emergency calls. .
HM Coastguard Head of Coastguard Operations Richard Hackwell said: ‘We have seen a big rise in incident numbers this weekend as more people visit coastal areas and head to the beach. We understand that people want to have fun at the coast and enjoy the heatwave but we urge everyone to respect the sea and take responsibility in helping to ensure the safety of themselves, friends and family.
‘We’re heading into a period of more good weather so we want to remind you to check and double check tide times as even the most experienced swimmer or keen watersports enthusiast can get caught out by currents and tides. Plan your day out, always exercise caution and make sure you have a way of contacting us if you get into trouble.’
He added: ‘As our latest statistics show, we’ll always respond when someone calls 999 and asks for the Coastguard but help us to help you by not making choices which could put yourself and others at risk.
‘Every time our frontline teams respond – as they always do and always will – please don’t forget that they’re also put at risk too. Take extra care at the coast today and over the coming days. We don’t want you to remember your day-out for all the wrong reasons.’
Meanwhile, the RNLI has called on beachgoers to follow water safety advice and adhere to social distancing.
Last week, the charity carried out 30 rescues in one day on just one beach in Cornwall.
Anyone who sees a person in trouble should alert lifeguards or call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
A coastguard helicopter was also involved in yesterday’s search and rescue operation