Camber Sands: Major search launched for swimmer missing in sea days after five died in beach tragedy

Hatty Collier28 August 2016

A major search-and-rescue operation was launched today over fears a female swimmer was missing at Camber Sands just days after five men died there.

The RNLI, police and coastguards launched the operation at the popular holiday spot, near Rye in East Sussex, an RNLI spokeswoman said.

The operation was later called off when the woman was found safe and well.

On Wednesday, friends from London, all aged in their teens or 20s, died at the beach.

The tragedy prompted authorities to deploy lifeguards on the normally unpatrolled seafront for the busy Bank Holiday weekend.

Lifeguards on duty at Camber Sands after the death of five swimmers
Ingrid Abery/REX

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: "A member of the public haf contacted police and the coastguard at Camber Sands after seeing an abandoned pair of flip-flops next to the sea.

"A female was seen diving into the sea at this location. Officers at the scene were doing coastal checks to see if there were any persons in the sea having difficulty."

Up to six RNLI lifeguards were due to be on duty at Camber Sands over the weekend, plus a team giving safety information to beach-goers between Saturday and Monday.

Last Wednesday, Kobi Nathan, 22, died trying to rescue his 18-year-old brother Ken after the group got into difficulty in the sea on a day trip to the beach.

It is believed they were playing football on a sandbank when Ken and friend Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, got stuck in quicksand below the water.

Kobi, with friends Kurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, and Nitharsan Ravi, 22, all from south east London, swam over to free them but became caught in rising waters and then dragged out by a powerful rip-tide.

Shocked holidaymakers pulled three of the friends to the shore shortly after 2pm but despite the desperate attempts of medics they were pronounced dead 15 minutes later.

The bodies of the two other victims were discovered at around 8pm when the tide went out on the seven-mile beach where thousands of holidaymakers had spent the hottest day of the year.

Relatives of some of the men criticised the lack of lifeguards at Camber and suggested they may have stood a chance of survival if the beach had been manned.

Mr Ravi's family said they felt "very angry" at the lack of response from the authorities following the death of another man, Brazilian Gustavo Silva Da Cruz, 19, at Camber last month.

A spokesman for Rother District Council said that, despite there being no lifeguards, there were summer patrols to advise people of potential dangers.

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