A man in his 50s is fighting for his life after three people got into difficulty in the water near Clacton Pier, the second serious incident on the Essex coast in less than a week.
Emergency services were called to Clacton-on-Sea shortly after 16:30 BST on Saturday following reports of swimmers in trouble. The man, aged in his 50s, is now in a critical but stable condition in hospital, Essex Police said. Two others – a man in his 20s and a teenage girl – remain hospitalised but are “recovering well”, the force added.
“Man in his 50s critical after three got into difficulty at Clacton-on-Sea; second incident in a week.”
The rescue came just three days after a mother and daughter died in a separate incident at West Mersea, near Colchester. Shally Rahman, 41, and Samiha Rahman, 15, had tried to help a seven-year-old relative out of the water. That boy remains in hospital in a critical condition.
Ch Insp Stuart Austin, Clacton district commander, acknowledged the “sense of shock and worry” felt by the community. “First and foremost, our thoughts are with those affected by the incident on the seafront yesterday,” he said. “I’m also aware the area was busy, and the incident would have been seen by a lot of people. Emergency services were quickly on the scene, and all services worked incredibly professionally to clear the area to allow for medical professionals to help the three people involved.”
Austin urged the public not to comment about the incident on social media. The double tragedy has left the seaside town reeling, with questions mounting over water safety along the Essex coast.