Need to know
Two men remain missing at sea after going swimming at Budleigh Salterton in Devon on Christmas Day, sparking a huge search mission
Here’s everything we know after two men went missing in the sea after a Christmas swim at a beach in Budleigh Salterton, Devon:
- Emergency services rushed to a beach in Budleigh Salterton this morning (Thursday, December 25) after reports at 10.25am that a group of people were in trouble in the water. Hundreds had gathered at the beaches in Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton for their traditional Christmas Day swims.
- A number of people were “safely recovered” and checked by paramedics, but two men were believed to be missing in the water, Devon and Cornwall Police said in the early afternoon. A major search operation was launched, involving Exmouth and Beer Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth and Torbay, and coastguard search and rescue helicopters. Police and paramedics were also at the scene.
- The two men, aged in their 40s and 60s, remained missing after RNLI and coastguard crews stood down their searches as darkness fell, police said. Their families have been informed. As officers confirmed the men were still missing, Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar described the incident as “truly tragic”.
- Images from the scene show lifeboats carrying out search and rescue operations in particularly choppy waters. Phillip Stoneman, a BBC journalist who has attended Budleigh’s annual Christmas swim for several years, told the broadcaster: “As soon as we arrived you could tell that the sea was the roughest it’s been and that anyone going in would need to be a lot more cautious than usual.” He added: “The waves swept some people exiting the sea off their feet and other swimmers were helping them out.”
- Several official and unofficial swims planned for Christmas and Boxing Day in Devon and Cornwall had already been cancelled due to a yellow weather warning for wind. The Met Office warning, in force from 4am until the end of the day across South West England and Wales, said gusts could reach 55 to 65mph along some exposed coasts. Det Supt Costar said that while there are no official warnings in place for tomorrow, police are urging people not to go swimming in the sea on Boxing Day.
READ THE FULL STORY: Budleigh Salterton LIVE: Two men missing at sea after swim as search called for the day
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