FIVE dead at Camber Sands: Tragic accident results in the death of five friends

Calls for greater safety on one of the UK’s most popular beaches have been made this week following the death of five men at Camber Sands.

On Wednesday 24^th August, police attended the popular tourist destination alongside paramedics after three of the men were discovered.

Attempts to rescue them proved unsuccessful before two more bodies were discovered later in the day.

Police have revealed that the five men were friends from London, believed to be in their teens and early-20s, and had travelled to the beach together.

Chief Superintendent, Di Roskilly, of Sussex Police, said: “We believe we now know who the men are and that they came to the beach together for the day.

“These men were not fully clothed when they were pulled from the sea but wearing clothes appropriate for being at the beach for the day.

“We have no further reports of anyone else missing from Camber and there are no ongoing searches related to this incident.”

She added: “This has been an incredibly tragic incident and we are offering their next of kin support at this difficult time.”

Emergency services first attended the scene at around 2.10pm on Wednesday after reports of a person in the sea. Within 25 minutes, two more bodies were found.

With some 25,000 visitors heading down to Camber Sands on the hottest days, the safety of beach-goers has been brought into question.

A spokesman for Rother District Council said that there were summer patrols in action on the back during the summer, desite there being no lifeguards.

“While it’s very upsetting to see two similar, tragic incidents this summer, over the years these kind of incidents are extremely rare and on a fine day around 25,000 people use the beach safely,” the spokesman said.

“Although it’s too early to draw any conclusions from this latest incident, in recent years we have seen a change in the make-up of visitors to Camber, including more people from outside the area who are not familiar with the sea and the dangers it can pose.”

Following the death of the five men, an online petition calling for lifeguards at Camber Sands has been signed by over 5,000 people.

The incident also follows the death of a 19-year-old Brazilian, Gustavo Silva Da Cruz, in July, who died after getting into difficulty swimming in the sea.