Two dead after being pulled from sea with search to continue

Two people have died amid a major search and rescue operation for people who got into difficulty in the sea off the Yorkshire coast.

Officials were first alerted to reports of people in trouble near Withernsea at 3.10pm on Friday. A 67-year-old man was found unconscious in the water and later confirmed to have died.

Late on Friday evening, Humberside Police said a second body was recovered from the sea and added that "circumstances are not believed to be suspicious."

The search for another person still thought to be missing was stood down at around half past midnight, and will be resumed this morning at first light.

People have been asked to avoid the area to allow the emergency services to carry out their work.

Search launched amid 'horrendous conditions'

HM Coastguard said it had deployed a search and rescue helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft to the scene on England's east coast.

The rescue operation also called in local coastguard and RNLI rescue teams, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, an air ambulance, Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue.

The conditions stopped Hornsea Inshore Rescue, a local independent group of volunteers, from launching.

"Called out, unable to launch the lifeboat due to horrendous conditions and three metre waves breaking on our slipway which would knock the tractor and trailer sideways off the ramp," it said in a statement on social media.

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In a post on Thursday, the group said it had called off a New Year's Day public swim because "the sea conditions were just not suitable today for us to condone anyone entering the water".

Temperatures in the seaside town were forecast to drop to freezing overnight, and the local council has put a severe weather protocol in place due to the cold.

It comes after a 51-year-old man died after getting into difficulty in the water in Brighton.

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