A 67-year-old man has died following a major search and rescue operation off the Yorkshire coast, Humberside Police have confirmed. Emergency services were engaged in a race against time to find people reported in difficulty in the water near Withernsea on Friday afternoon.
Major Emergency Response Launched
Officials were first alerted to reports of people in trouble in the sea at 3.10pm on Friday 2 January 2026. This triggered a massive multi-agency response involving:
- HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft.
- Local coastguard and RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) rescue teams.
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service and an air ambulance.
- Humberside Police.
- Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.
In a statement, 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 force added that the circumstances are not thought to be suspicious.
Treacherous Conditions Hinder Rescue
Searches are ongoing, and it remains unclear how many people may still be in the water. Earlier, HM Coastguard stated it was looking for two individuals. The operation has been severely hampered by dangerous sea conditions.
Hornsea Inshore Rescue, a local independent volunteer group, stated that "horrendous conditions and 3 metre waves" prevented them from launching their lifeboat, as waves were breaking on their slipway. The group had also called off a planned New Year's Day public swim due to unsafe sea conditions.
Temperatures in the seaside town were forecast to drop to freezing overnight, with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council confirming a severe weather protocol was active due to the cold.
Public Urged to Avoid Area
Authorities have asked the public to avoid the Central Promenade area in Withernsea to allow emergency services to work unimpeded. Humberside Fire and Rescue issued a warning about numerous emergency service vehicles in the area.
This tragic incident follows the death of a 51-year-old man in Brighton on Thursday after he got into difficulty in the water.
