Mother and daughter involved in ‘tragic incident’ off Yorkshire coast – police
A mother has died and her teenage daughter remains missing after a “tragic incident” off the East Yorkshire coast, police have said.
Sarah Keeling, 45, and her daughter Grace Keeling, 15, got stuck in the sea on Friday, Humberside Police said.
The bodies of Ms Keeling and Mark Ratcliffe, 67, who tried to rescue them, were recovered after the incident in Withernsea, but searches are still ongoing to locate Grace, the force added.
They said in a statement on Sunday: “Following reports of concerns for safety for people in the water in Withernsea, with the permission of the family, Humberside Police can now confirm that a mother and daughter, 45-year-old Sarah Keeling and 15-year-old Grace Keeling, were involved in this tragic incident, alongside 67-year-old Mark Ratcliffe, a member of the public who died trying to assist with the rescue.”
The family of Sarah and Grace Keeling are being supported by specially trained officers, they added.
Officers were called to the incident at Central Promenade in Withernsea at 3.15pm on Friday, Humberside Police previously said.
Mr Ratcliffe’s family paid tribute to him on Sunday, saying he was a “true selfless hero with a heart of gold, who was so cruelly taken trying to save others”.
The force added: “Residents will continue to see an increased police presence in and around the area as officers continue to search for the one remaining missing person.”
Witnesses of the incident previously told The Telegraph they saw a teenage girl “washed away” by the waves.
Karen Higgs, 66, told the paper: “I was by the cafe and this woman was running up the front towards the pier towers, shouting ‘she’s in the water, she’s in the water’.”
“I looked and I went across and there was somebody in the water… going in and out with the waves.
“Someone threw a safety ring in for her to catch. She was going out as the ring went in… and she never tried to catch it. We were all shouting at her to catch it, catch it. She just didn’t.”
On Friday, local charity Hornsea Inshore Rescue said on Facebook that it had been called out to Withernsea, but had been “unable to launch the lifeboat due to horrendous conditions and three-metre waves”.
A later post from the team said it had “launched on service”.
Published: by Radio NewsHub