ONE FEARED DEAD AND TWO IN HOSPITAL AFTER SWIMMING OFF SUSSEX COAST

One person is feared to have drowned yesterday after a group of swimmers "got into difficulty" while swimming in the sea off Camber Sands beach.

The coastguard had sent out a search team for a missing person in the water but later called it off as part of a rescue operation in East Sussex that saw two casualties transferred to hospital.

Julia Gosling, of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, told The Independent: "There is a good chance the swimmer has drowned because they haven't been able to find them under water or across the beach.

"Although survivability is higher in the summer, with the warmer water temperatures, there were definitely a lot of people around to see."

Ms Gosling described the conditions as "choppy" but could not confirm whether there had been a rip tide.

There were unconfirmed reports the swimmers were stung by a swarm of jellyfish, but Ms Gosling said there was "no indication" that this was true.

One person was taken to hospital by helicopter while another was transported by ambulance after the incident, which was first reported at 12:43pm at Camber Sands, the Coastguard said.

The RNLI said it received a call to launch an initial lifeboat from Rye Harbour at 12:40pm. A spokesman said their three boats were stood down at 4.20pm. Maritime & Coastguard Agency safety advice:

Swim on a lifeguarded beach if you can and stay within your depth. Swim parallel to the shore. If you get caught in a strong current or rip current try to stay as calm as you can, raise your hand and shout for help. Hold on to your surf or body board if you have one. If you can’t get help, try and swim parallel to the beach

until you’re out of trouble then swim to the shore. If you can stand up, wade instead of swimming.