Five drowned friends ‘all competent swimmers’

Five young friends who drowned on a seaside day trip were all fit, healthy and competent swimmers, an inquest heard, amid warnings of “hidden dangers” on the beach.

The men, who all lived in the London area and were of Sri Lankan origin, ran into difficulties at Camber Sands beach, near Rye, East Sussex, on August 24 last year.

Before the inquest at Hastings began, the brother of one of the victims said he believed the men would not have died if lifeguards had been deployed at Camber. About a month before the tragedy, two other people also lost their lives there. Those deaths are also being considered as part of the inquest.