A 12-year-old girl and teenage boy, 17, have been pronouced dead after a major incident, which saw ten people recovered from the sea, took place at Bournemouth beach.
A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by Dorset Police in relation to the incident.
Lifeguards rushed into the water by Bournemouth Pier after people got into difficulty in the sea around 4.30.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, with the teenage boy and girl being rushed to hospital after sustaining critical injuries. Tragically they both died later in hospital, with their families being informed.
The other eight people were treated by the ambulance service at the scene for non life-threatening injuries.
While this was happening witnesses on the beach reported seeing the body of a young male wash up on the shore.
Lifeguards recovered a teenage girl from the sea next to the pier and were seen to give her CPR. She was taken off the beach and flown to hospital by air ambulance.
One air ambulance was seen landing, while another hovered above the scene
One of the men was pulled from the water and had to be given CPR on the beach by lifeguards before being taken away by air ambulance
The operation involved multiple agencies
The beach had to be cleared before the ambulance was able to land
Witnesses said that four other swimmers who were rescued were walking on the beach afterwards.
It is believed that all of those involved were aged between 12 and 18-years-old.
Paul Moyce, 61, said he believed those involved had been jumping into the sea off the pier.
He said: ‘I think they went off the end of the pier and went out too far. They must have got caught by the current. I lived here for 61 years and I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Thousands of people were on the Dorset beach at the time, soaking up the sun and playing in the water in the 23C heat during the May half term holiday.
Steph Newman-Johnston was on Facetime to her sister who was on the beach when the incident unfolded.
She said: ‘As we were talking she said she saw a body along with other people being washed up.
‘All I could hear was her screaming for the attention of someone to see the body and then a person was then seen running to the body and pulling it out.’
South Western Ambulance Service told MailOnline that they had ‘conveyed two patients to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital’.
Thousands of people had been soaking up the sun and playing in the water in the 23C heat during the May half term holiday.
Beachgoer Ritta Saruchera said her daughter and her friend were in the sea at the time when they saw what happened.
She said: ‘They were coming back out of the water when they saw a teenage boy struggling. There was another one floating in the water.
‘We went to get help from the lifeguard and inform them of what was happening. There were three young men out there and they have been searching for a fourth.’
A spokesperson for Dorset police told MailOnline: ‘Dorset Police received a report at 4.32pm on Wednesday 31 May 2023 from the ambulance service requesting assistance on the beach off Bournemouth Pier.
Thousands of people were enjoying the weather before being asked to clear the beach by police
Two people were taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital
‘Officers are currently in attendance clearing the area to assist HM Coastguard and the ambulance service, who are dealing with the incident.’
A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called to East Beach, Bournemouth at 4.39pm to support a multi-agency incident.
‘We have crews in attendance from Westbourne and Springbourne, together with a technical rescue team from Poole.’
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: ‘We sent x2 air ambulances, x6 double-crewed land ambulances, x1 critical care car, x2 operations officers, x1 doctor, x1 hazardous area response team and x1 responding officer.
HM Coastguard told MailOnline that ‘two people had been pulled from the water and passed into the care of the ambulance service’ and that ‘coastguards searched to make sure there were no other people missing and are satisfied there are not.
Bus routes that would normally serve the Pier stops were diverted through the square.