Police have shut down West Mersea beach near Colchester, Essex, following a 'tragic incident', warning the public to 'stay away' from the area. Emergency services, including at least six ambulances, arrived around 5:30pm on Wednesday evening, with the RNLI first on scene.
Emergency response and eyewitness accounts
West Mersea Coastguard Rescue Team stated their 'thoughts are with the family involved', but no further details have been released. An eyewitness told The Sun they saw 'about 18 emergency vehicles', claiming they 'must have been searching for someone'. 'A lot of people had their head in their hands so it was clearly a sensitive issue,' they added.
Two air ambulances landed nearby, along with a dozen police cars, a fire engine, a lifeboat, six ambulances, and a Coastguard helicopter. The RNLI confirmed lifeboats from West Mersea and Clacton were launched.
Police statement and ongoing investigation
In a Facebook statement, local police 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.'
The area was cordoned off with a wind breaker, with emergency vehicles parked alongside pastel beach huts. Currents in the area are known to be strong, but the nature of the incident has not been confirmed.
A Coastguard spokesperson said: '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.'
