Brighton beach reopens after three women found dead in sea
Brighton beach reopened after three women were found dead in the sea, as detectives worked to identify them and trace their families.
Brighton beach reopened on Wednesday after police and rescue crews recovered the bodies of three women from the sea near Madeira Drive, ending a major emergency operation that began before dawn and drew officers, lifeboats, ambulance crews and coastguard teams to the eastern seafront.
Sussex Police said the first call came at about 5.45am on 13 May 2026 over concern for a single person in the water near Black Rocks car park on Madeira Drive. When responders reached the scene, they recovered two more bodies nearby. The force later said the beach had been reopened and officers had left after the scene was stood down, while detectives continued their work under Operation Ledmore.
Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said the priority was identifying the women, locating their families and understanding exactly what happened. Police urged the public to avoid speculation and said anyone with information should call 101 or report it online. Some local reports said the women were believed to be about 20 to 30 years old, but police had not confirmed their identities or ages.
The South East Coast Ambulance Service said ambulance crews and critical care paramedics attended, but the women were declared dead at the scene. The RNLI said Brighton lifeboat and Shoreham all-weather lifeboat were launched at around 6am, while HM Coastguard said it was not searching for anyone else. The response involved Sussex Police, HM Coastguard, three RNLI lifeboats and ambulance crews, with some reports also referring to a helicopter.
Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey said she was shocked and deeply saddened by the deaths, thanked the emergency services for their quick response and said her thoughts were with the women’s friends and family. Local reports said a cordon had stretched along the eastern seafront near Madeira Drive and that the area east of Black Rock was expected to remain closed for part of the day while forensic teams reviewed CCTV and other evidence.
The incident left Brighton’s seafront under intense scrutiny for several hours, with rough seas and strong winds adding to the difficulty of the response. Investigators now face the slower but essential task of identifying the women and establishing how three lives ended in the water off one of the city’s busiest stretches of coast.
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