All the agencies concerned have been praised for their efforts
Bridlington RNLI launching to the incident at Withernsea on Friday, January 2, 2026(Image: RNLI)
The RNLI has put out a statement thanking all that were involved in the search and rescue response to the incident involving people in difficulty in the water off Withernsea, on Friday (January 2). RNLI volunteers from Withernsea, Bridlington and Skegness lifeboat stations responded to the tasking by HM Coastguard at around 3.30pm, to assist in the multi-agency incident.
A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “RNLI crews were involved in the recovery of two casualties, and Withernsea, Bridlington and Skegness lifeboats continued to search the water for one remaining missing person. Conditions at sea were extremely difficult with three-metre waves, strong winds and very cold air temperatures.
“After extensive shoreline and offshore searches, the search was stood down at around 12.30am. Search efforts resumed at first light on Saturday, January 3, with RNLI volunteers from Withernsea searching the shoreline on foot alongside partner agencies in challenging snow conditions. HM Coastguard stood down the search at 4pm.”
Emergency services vehicles on The Promenade, Withernsea, a day after reports of people entering the water(Image: Donna Clifford/Hull Live)
Agencies involved in the response included HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, Coastguard Rescue Teams from Withernsea, Hornsea and Hull, Hornsea Inshore Rescue, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue. The spokesperson said: “We would like to thank members of the public who assisted and supported the emergency services, and recognise the professionalism, coordination and commitment shown by all agencies during a prolonged and demanding response.
“We’d also like to acknowledge the dedication of our volunteers, who spent many hours at sea in challenging conditions, and all those who supported back at the stations. This is a very tragic incident and our thoughts are with the families, friends and all those impacted.”
A 67-year-old man was recovered unconscious from the sea after the huge search and rescue operation. Sadly, he died a short time later.
A second person was later confirmed to have also died, with one person still missing.
READ MORE: Withernsea café owner on the ‘tragic accident’ that brought a mass search operation to the resort