Body recovered in search for boy, 13, in sea off East Yorkshire coast
A body has been recovered in the search for a 13-year-old boy who got into difficulty in the sea off the East Yorkshire coast, police have said.
Humberside Police received reports of concern for the boy’s safety near the South Promenade area of Hornsea at around 6pm on Tuesday. A search and rescue operation was launched, and a body was recovered from the water at around 4.30am on Wednesday morning. Formal identification has not yet taken place, but the force believes it is the teenager. According to Press Association estimates, at least 40 deaths have been reported this summer from open-water incidents. Chief Superintendent Phil Booker said: “This is an incredibly heartbreaking outcome, and our thoughts are with the boy’s family and friends at this devastating time.” The search involved the police’s Marine Unit and drone pilots, HM Coastguard, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service. Footage and photographs taken at the scene show a lifeboat on the sea, and an HM Coastguard helicopter circling above. Mr Booker added: “His death is not being treated as suspicious, and a file will now be prepared for the Coroner. “We know the sadness and concern this will cause in the community, and we would ask that the family’s privacy is respected during this incredibly difficult time. “I would like to thank all of the emergency services involved in the search, along with members of the public for their support and cooperation.” The boy’s family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers. It comes after a 14-year-old boy drowned after going into the water in east London on Monday. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 6.48pm to reports that a boy had entered the Millwall Outer Dock near East Ferry Road on the Isle of Dogs. The incident in East Yorkshire occurred less than 20 miles away from where 15-year-old Grace Keeling was swept out to sea in January. Grace died in the sea at Withernsea, along with her mother, Sarah Keeling, 45, and local man Mark Ratcliffe, 67, who went into the water to help her on the afternoon of January 2 and immediately got into difficulties themselves, an inquest heard in May. The search for Grace’s body took 13 days and it was eventually found trapped among giant boulders used for sea defences to the south of where the incident happened. The National Water Safety Forum reported there were 202 water-related fatalities across the whole of last year in the UK, adding that 2026 data will not be published until May next year.
Published: by Radio NewsHub