Teenage girl and woman in her 40s killed after ‘multiple people got into difficulty’ in sea at popular Essex beach

A TEENAGE girl and a woman in her 40s who were known to each other have tragically died after several people got into difficulty in the sea. Cops and the Coastguard scrambled to the scene at West Mersea, near Colchester in Essex, at around 5.30pm on Wednesday. Essex Police at the scene at West Mersea after reports of people struggling in the water Credit: JOHN McLELLAN The coastguard was called after multiple people were reported to be ‘in difficulty in the water’ Credit: East Anglia News Service West Mersea Coastguard Rescue Team said in a statement shortly after midnight that “thoughts are with the family involved”. Cops have confirmed two people – a teenage girl and a woman in her 40s – tragically died. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! A third person was rushed to hospital in serious condition. Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher said: “Today, our thoughts remain with the family members who are coming to terms with their loss. “We are grateful to the people who have already spoken to us and helped with our enquiries. “We would ask anyone who was at the beach at the time, and who has not yet spoken with officers, to please get in touch, to help us understand what happened.” Essex Police said in a statement this morning: “We were called by the ambulance service at 5.35pm on Wednesday 22 July after reports that several people had got into difficulty in the water near Seaview Avenue. “Despite the efforts of the emergency services, we can sadly confirm that a teenage girl and a woman in her 40s have died. Most read in The Sun Around a dozen police cars were scrambled to the area Credit: East Anglia News Service Flowers laid on the beach on West Mersea this morning Credit: Stephen Huntley/HVC “A third person remains in hospital in a serious condition. “Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of those affected at this very difficult time. “At this stage of our enquiries, we believe those involved in the incident knew each other. “Anyone who was in the area at the time and has information or footage which may assist our investigation is asked to contact us on 101 and quote incident 1090.” A coastguard spokesperson said last night: “Tonight we have responded to a tragic incident on West Mersea beach. “Our team and West Mersea Lifeboat Station – RNLI were first on scene. “We will not be making any further comment on the details at this time and leave this task to Essex Police as an ongoing incident. Our thoughts are with the family involved.” Witnesses told The Sun they saw CPR being performed on the beach after people had been pulled from the water. Cops warned the public to ‘stay away’ from the area Credit: East Anglia News Service The area is known for its strong currents which can take swimmers by surprise. East of England Ambulance Service were also in attendance, along with Essex Fire and Rescue Service and Essex Police. In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, the force said: “While we remain on scene, we would ask the public to avoid the Seaview Avenue and beach area. “We appreciate that this will cause some local issues, but would ask for your patience and understanding as we may be there for some time yet.” An eyewitness who lives nearby previously told The Sun: “I noticed an ambulance come back to the house so I went to take a look. “I could see about 18 emergency vehicles. “I also saw two air ambulances and one coast guard helicopter which had its door open so they must have been searching for someone. “On arrival the police had everyone move back and set up a cordon. “A lot of people had their head in their hands so it was clearly a sensitive issue. “All the paramedics I could see were down at the beach.”