A woman has died after suffering a medical emergency while swimming with her son at a popular beach in Dorset. Members of the public pulled her from the water at Southbourne Beach between Fisherman's Walk and Portman Ravine on Monday afternoon.
Bystanders performed CPR for extended period
A beach hut owner told the Dorset Echo he witnessed the woman having a medical emergency in the water while with her son. Another local 'heard all the commotion' as emergency services arrived. She added: 'They were doing CPR for ages and ages, for an awfully long time.'
A Dorset Police spokesperson said: 'At 2.21 pm on Monday 22 June 2026, Dorset Police was called to assist with a medical emergency at Southbourne promenade to clear an area to enable emergency services to attend safely. Sadly, a short time later a woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin is aware and the coroner has been notified. The death is not being treated as suspicious.'
A Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance took off from the beach at around 4.30pm.
Heatwave conditions may have contributed
The incident occurred as a 'heat-dome' settled over western Europe, with the Met Office warning of temperatures up to 40C in parts of England and Wales. The June record set in Hampshire in 1976 could be overtaken, and temperatures could approach the UK's all-time high of 40.3C recorded in July 2022. The hot conditions, accompanied by high humidity and very warm nights, make it hard for people to recover overnight.
A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham was issued from 9am Wednesday to 9pm Thursday.
