Three family members die, another critically injured after swimming incident off Shoreham-by-Sea

Three members of a family died and a young girl remains in critical condition after they got into difficulty while swimming off the coast of Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. The victims, a man, a woman, and a teenage girl, were pronounced dead after a major emergency response involving multiple coastguard teams, lifeboats, air ambulances, and police.

Emergency services were called shortly after 2:40 p.m. to reports of four people struggling in the water near Shoreham Fort. All four individuals were brought to shore by rescue teams. Despite extensive efforts by paramedics, three were declared deceased at the scene. The fourth, a younger girl from the same family, was transported to a hospital where she is in a critical condition. Sussex Police confirmed that next of kin have been informed.

Chief Superintendent James Collis of Sussex Police stated that, based on the initial investigation, all four had entered the water from the land to swim and sadly got into difficulty. He confirmed that the coastguard had completed an extensive search of the area and is not looking for anyone else. The incident has had a profound effect on the local community, he added.