A man has died after getting into difficulty in freezing waters off the East Yorkshire coast, as the desperate search for other swimmers continues.
Emergency crews were called to Central Promenade in Withernsea at around 3:15pm on Friday afternoon following reports that people in the water had gotten into difficulty.
HM Coastguard, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Humberside Police, and Humberside Fire and Rescue all scrambled crews to try and rescue those in trouble.
A 67-year-old man was pulled from the water but later died at the scene.
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: ‘During the initial searches, emergency services recovered an unconscious man from the water.
‘Despite the best efforts we can confirm a 67-year-old man died a short time later at the scene.
‘The circumstances around his death are not thought to be suspicious.
‘Searches are still ongoing. Residents will continue to see an increased police presence in and around the area as the search continues.
‘We would ask people to please avoid the area to allow emergency services to work efficiently and safely.’
Emergency services gathered at the scene amid the ongoing major rescue operation
HM Coastguard deployed a helicopter to the scene
Eyewitnesses reported seeing flashing blue lights across the promenade
HM Coastguard and Humberside Police were among the services called to the scene
It comes just one day after people were not allowed to enter the sea for the annual New Year’s Day swim event due to large breaking waves, and amid a yellow weather warning for snow and ice on the Yorkshire coast.
Snow showers are expected overnight, with the Met Office reporting a likelihood of around one to three cm of snow, with up to eight cm possible in places.
It’s due to an Arctic chill, with the Met Office expecting daytime temperatures across the UK to struggle to breach 0C (32F) and could even fall into the minus double digits over the coming days.
The search has been ongoing for much of the afternoon and into Friday evening.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service initially said four people had entered the water.
But by 7.15pm on Friday, HM Coastguard said it was searching for two people, having previously said it was reporting to ‘a number of people in difficulty in the water’.