Mum and daughter drown trying to save child in sea off Essex beach

Woman and girl died after ‘tide came in while group was on sandbank’

An eyewitness said the tragedy happened as the tide came in while a group of people were on a sandbank.

A woman, who did not give her name, said the incident at West Mersea happened at high tide.

She told the Press Association: “The tide was a lot further in than it is now and that sandbank, they were on there and the tide came in.

“It comes in very quickly and you have to be careful.”

Speaking while sitting at a beach hut, the woman said there was “quite a commotion” and “just total panic”.

Discussing the aftermath of the incident, she said there was a “helicopter coming in, the helicopter circling and sirens going everywhere”.

The eyewitness added: “That was quite alarming, for a small place like this, I think that’s why so many people are shocked.

“I mean the beach was packed with people, they were coming down to see what was going on.”

Police Fire & Crime Commissioner for Essex responds to incident

The Police Fire & Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic incident in West Mersea.”

He shared his thanks to the emergency services in a post on social media.

Tributes laid on West Mersea beach

Tributes and flowers have been laid close to where the incident took place yesterday evening, the BBC is reporting.

Families, dog walkers and local residents have arrived to praise emergency services and pay respects to the deceased.

East of England Ambulance confirm two patients died at scene

In a statement, the East of England Ambulance Service has confirmed that two patients died at the scene of the incident.

"Sadly, despite best efforts, two patients could not be resuscitated. One patient was transported by air to hospital, and a further three patients were transported by road to hospital,” the statement read.

Where is West Mersea?

West Mersea is located on Mersea Island in Essex.

Located around 10 miles from Colchester, the town is a popular seaside holiday destination.

During periods of full and new moon, the island becomes completely cut off from the mainland.

Those involved were known to each other, say police

Essex Police understands that the five people involved in the incident were known to each other.

It comes as the force continue with enquiries into what happened on Wednesday night.

A cordon remains in place.

Two more people in hospital

Essex Police have released an update, adding that two more people are in hospital with “non-threatening” injuries.

This means five people in total were involved. Two have sadly died, as confirmed earlier.

Third person in hospital in 'serious condition'

A third person remains in “a serious condition” in hospital, Essex Police has said.

Mother and daughter died after reportedly rescuing child

One media outlet is reporting that a mother and daughter died in the incident while attempting to rescue a young child.

The Daily Dazzling Dawn said the family was enjoying a summer holiday trip when the incident occurred.

In full: Essex Police statement

Essex Police has confirmed that a teenage girl and a woman in her 40s have died. A third person remains in hospital.

The force were called by the ambulance service at 5:35pm on Wednesday evening after reports that several people had got into difficulty in the water near Seaview Avenue.

Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher said: “Today, our thoughts remain with the family members who are coming to terms with their loss.

“We are grateful to the people who have already spoken to us and helped with our enquiries.

“We would ask anyone who was at the beach at the time, and who has not yet spoken with officers, to please get in touch, to help us understand what happened.”

It is believed that those involved in the incident were known to each other.

Two people died in incident

A teenage girl and a woman in her 40s have died in the incident, Essex Police has confirmed.

A third person remains in hospital in serious condition.

'Something unusual occured'

MP Sir Bernard Jenkin for Harwich and North Essex has said he is “sad and very shocked” by the incident.

In a post on social media, he said “we cannot speculate about what happened, but the response has been fantastic.”

He added: “We await further news and extend sympathy to all those affected.”

Essex Police urge people to avoid Seaview Avenue and beach area

Essex Police have urged people to avoid Seaview Avenue and the surrounding area.

In a statement, the force said: Essex 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.”

What we know so far

A major emergency service response is underway at a beach in Mersea, Essex, following a “tragic incident” on Wednesday evening.

The nature of the incident is yet to be confirmed.

Here’s what we know so far:

• West Mersea Coastguard Rescue Team and the RNLI were the first to the scene on Wednesday evening
• It has been described as a “tragic incident” by the Coastguard, though the exact nature is yet to be confirmed
• Essex Police, the air ambulance, paramedics, and the fire service were all in attendance
• A cordon remains in place on the beach