A man has died after being pulled from the sea at Durley Chine Beach, with witnesses reporting that five people dragged him to shore and one administered CPR in rescue attempts.
Dorset Police confirmed emergency services were alerted at 4.13pm on Sunday, October 4, to the shoreline near Bournemouth Pier. The man, believed to be in his late 50s or 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses describe rescue efforts
Witnesses said the incident happened around 3.40pm near Durley Chine Beach. Influencer James Edward Lees, one of those involved in the rescue attempts, ran to get a defibrillator. He told the Bournemouth Echo: "I saw a situation happening over there, a guy on the ground with two or three women around him."
He described the scenes as the "scariest thing to see" as he "literally had to drag him out [of] the water." He added: "I was just sitting over there minding my own business, and I saw the situation happening just there. I phoned the ambulance; they’re busy. Luckily, loads of people phoned."
Emergency response and police statement
Lees said it took a few minutes to get through to the ambulance and some time to explain the location. He ran to fetch a defibrillator, saying: "I’ve never run so fast in my life." Around 10 emergency vehicles attended, along with the coastguard and ambulance crews, and a helicopter was seen circling the scene.
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "We received a report at 4.13pm on Sunday, October 4, of a man requiring medical attention at Bournemouth beach near the pier. Emergency services attended and, very sadly, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. His family is aware. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends at this very difficult time."
