2 men missing after Christmas Day swim
Two men are missing after a group of people who went on a Christmas Day swim at a beach in southwestern England faced rough waters, police said on Thursday.
Authorities were called at 10:25 a.m. to the beach at Budleigh Salterton due to a group encountering difficult water conditions, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
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Several people were safely recovered to shore and checked either by paramedics at the scene or taken to the hospital as a precaution, police said.
However, two men, in their 40s and 60s, were not recovered and remain missing.
“Emergency services were called at 10.25am today [25 December] to the beach at Budleigh Salterton following concerns that a group had got into difficulty in the water,”Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar said in a statement.
“A number of people were safely recovered to shore and checked either by paramedics at the scene or taken to hospital as a precaution. Two men, aged in their 40s and 60s, were not located during the search and remain missing at this time. Their families have been informed of the developments.”
Police led “extensive” searches for the men but the efforts stood down as darkness fell.
“Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and to all who may have witnessed and be impacted by the incident,” Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar said in a statement.
“The local community will have seen a significant amount of emergency services in the area throughout the day as extensive enquiries have been ongoing. As dark falls, a number of these searches have been stood down, with some police enquiries on land continuing this evening.”
Costar said that there were several weather warnings put in place this week that led to some official and unofficial swims to be canceled.
The Met Office issued a warning of “strong and gusty east to northeasterly winds” on Christmas Day with gusts up to 55-65 mph.
“While there are no official warnings in place for tomorrow, we urge anyone with plans to go swimming in the sea on Boxing Day not to,” Costar said.
