Watch: Police hold press conference after 'bodies of three women recovered from the sea' in Brighton
Police have held a press conference in Brighton after the ‘bodies of three women were recovered from the sea’.
A large-scale operation is underway in Brighton after emergency services were called to the beach at around 5.45am today (May 13).
In a statement shared at 9.44am, Sussex Police confirmed ‘the bodies of three women were recovered from the water near Madeira Drive’.
In a press conference at about 12.30pm today, Ch Supt Adam Hays said police are ‘at the very early stages of our inquiries’.
He said: “Our priority right now is to identify all three women and contact their next of kin.
"I know this incident will be highly distressing for the community and we are working hard with our partners to understand exactly what has happened.
"This includes gathering and reviewing CCTV from the surrounding area, including for properties and local businesses nearby.
"Our partners in the Coastguard have completed an extensive search of the water and at this stage we are not searching for anyone else."
A cordon is currently in place on the beach, and Sussex Police confirmed it would remain closed east of Volk’s Railway Black Rock car park ‘for at least the rest of the afternoon’.
Anyone with information should contact Sussex Police online via 101, quoting Operation Ledmore.