Three women recovered from sea off Brighton beach, police investigate

Three women were recovered from the sea off Brighton beach after emergency services were called to concerns for a person in the water near Black Rocks car park in Madeira Drive. Police said the women had not yet been identified and their families had not been informed.

Emergency crews were first called at about 5.45am on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. When responders arrived, two more bodies were found nearby, bringing the total to three women. South East Coast Ambulance Service crews and critical care paramedics attended, but the women were declared dead at the scene.

HM Coastguard mounted an extensive search of the water, with helicopters, rescue teams and RNLI lifeboats all involved before the operation was stood down around midday. Police later said the coastguard had ruled out anyone else being missing, and the beach reopened after the search ended.

Sussex Police asked the public to avoid speculation while officers pursued multiple lines of inquiry. Investigators were also reviewing CCTV from nearby businesses and homes overlooking Brighton’s seafront, and asked anyone with information to contact police. One reported line of inquiry is that the women may have entered the sea close to where they were found.

Local reporting suggested the women may have been young adults, possibly in their late teens or twenties, and that they were fully clothed, but police had not confirmed either their ages or their identities. The sea temperature near Brighton was reported to be about 12C, adding to the danger faced by anyone entering the water.

Brighton & Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey said she was shocked and deeply saddened, thanked emergency services for their quick response and said her heart went out to the friends and family of the women. Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle called the deaths a sobering and heartbreaking reminder of the importance of families and communities, while Brighton Pavilion MP Sian Berry and Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven MP Chris Ward described the news as unbearably sad and deeply tragic.

The deaths have renewed attention on water safety along Brighton’s busy seafront, where the water can turn hazardous quickly even close to shore. Police say the focus now is identifying the women, locating their families and establishing exactly how they got into difficulty in the early hours off Madeira Drive.