Two men die after going into sea to rescue children at County Durham beach | County Durham
Two men have died after diving into the water to help two children in distress at a County Durham beach, police said.
Police officers were called to Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool at around 3.45pm on Sunday after concerns grew that two teenagers were in the water.
Cleveland police said both children were confirmed safe and taken to the hospital to be checked out.
Police added that the men were pulled from the water and received immediate medical treatment, but they were both pronounced dead a short time later.
Officers attended the scene alongside colleagues from the RNLI, HM Coastguard and the North East ambulance service.
Supt Glen Ward said: “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of both men involved in this tragic incident today.
“Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, unfortunately both men were pronounced dead shortly after being pulled from the sea.
“Although the deaths are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner, we are carrying out an investigation into what happened today.”
Ward added: “I would like to remind everyone that open water carries serious risks. We know it can be inviting in hot weather, but we encourage people to avoid entering open water. Today we have sadly seen the real tragedy that can happen as a result.”
Please be more careful and enjoy the warm weather as safely as possible.
There have been many deaths caused by water in recent days due to hot weather.
On Friday, Derbyshire Constabulary announced that the body of an 18-year-old man was recovered from the water near an embankment at the Darley Abbey Mills complex after two teenagers got into trouble.
Manchester police say an 18-year-old man died at Dovestone Reservoir in Oldham on Friday.
Water safety experts have previously warned about the dangers of swimming outdoors following several drowning incidents in the past two months.
Seven people died in water-related incidents in the UK during the heatwave in June and 15 in May.
Cold water shock is especially dangerous when people jump or dive into water because it can cause them to gasp for air and draw water into their lungs before they can surface.
Recent heatwaves in Western Europe are the most severe and widespread yet, and were only possible due to the climate crisis caused by fossil fuel burning, scientists said.
Researchers found that almost half of Europe’s 850 largest cities suffered their worst-ever heat stress last month, a combination of temperature and humidity.
