Man, 18, dies after getting into difficulty in sea at Camber Sands

An 18-year-old man has died after getting into difficulty in the sea.

A large search operation was launched on Sunday evening after reports that three people were in trouble in the water at Camber Sands beach in East Sussex.

Emergency services were called just before 7pm, and two of the three people, a 16-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man, safely got out of the water.

A third person - the 18-year-old man - was pulled from the water at around 7.30pm.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: "Sadly, despite lifesaving attempts by paramedics at the scene, he was pronounced deceased a short while later.

"His next of kin have been informed, and our thoughts are with them.

"Inquiries in the area remain ongoing and an increased emergency presence is visible at this time."

The force added that the three people were known to each other, and had travelled to the beach together from London.

"There are no suspicious circumstances, and this will now be a coronial matter," a spokesperson said.

The UK has seen a series of deaths from people getting into difficulty in water this year, as the country experiences record temperatures, at least four heatwaves and consistently high temperatures.

In May - which saw the hottest ever May temperature and the hottest ever Bank Holiday recorded - at least 15 people, mostly children, drowned swimming in open water.

Temperatures are set to climb to highs of 36C this week in what is set to be the fifth heatwave this summer for many, with a Met Office meteorologist saying red weather warnings could be issued.

Tom Morgan said that "we'll probably see highs reaching the mid-30s quite widely on Wednesday, and indeed on Thursday too" in England and Wales.

It's the latest in a spree of dry weather, which comes after last year's drought summer, and comes as the UK faces more extreme weather fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) also issued a water safety warning in May, saying "while the air temperature is warm, the seas are still cold and cold water shock remains a very real risk".

It added that the effects of entering waters of 15C or below are "often underestimated", and "this shock can be the precursor to drowning".

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Entering such water increases the heart rate, leading to blood pressure also going up, meaning cold shocks can cause heart attacks even in relatively young and healthy people.

Breathing rates can change uncontrollably and increase as much as tenfold, the charity says.

This can all contribute to a feeling of panic, which in turn increases the risk of inhaling water into the lungs.

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