A woman in her 40s and a teenage girl have died after getting into difficulty in the water at West Mersea Beach in Essex, despite the efforts of three young café workers who rushed to help.
Emergency services were called to West Mersea Beach on Mersea Island just before 5.30pm on 22 July 2026 following reports that several people had got into difficulty in the water. Ambulance crews, police, an air ambulance and the coastguard attended the scene, but the woman and teenage girl were pronounced dead.
A third person was taken to hospital in a serious condition and remains there, according to Essex Police. Two others are in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. An investigation has been launched, and police believe those involved knew each other.
Heroic actions of café workers
Three young workers from the nearby Seaview Beach Café were among the first on the scene after hearing a commotion. They rushed out to help the group, who had got into difficulty in a riptide.
Leonie Powling, 19, one of the workers, told the Mirror: "We had someone run to the café saying they needed help, so we all stopped what we were doing and ran to the beach. We saw some people on the beach, and there were still some casualties in the water."
"We started running around, trying to find anyone with a kayak or a paddleboard. We couldn't just run into the water because there was a riptide, and everyone would've just been sucked in. We were sat with a casualty making sure she was okay. There was another casualty we got out of the water, who was struggling to breathe at that point."
She added: "One of the workers went up to her, patted her on the back and said: 'You need to make yourself throw up.' After that, the RNLI got into the water and got the other casualties out. The ambulance and the police turned up and we were all leading them to where the casualties were."
"I'm feeling fine now, to be fair, but it's not good to know people have died. But it's good to know that some of them survived. That's the best thing about it. We got some people out, safe and okay. One is in serious condition, but will hopefully get better. With the other two, we're just thinking about the family. It's heartbreaking."
Police appeal for witnesses
Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher of Essex Police said: "Today, our thoughts remain with the family members who are coming to terms with their loss. We are grateful to the people who have already spoken to us and helped with our enquiries. We would ask anyone who was at the beach at the time, and who has not yet spoken with officers, to please get in touch, to help us understand what happened."
Anyone with information or footage is asked to contact Essex Police on 101, quoting incident 1090.
Witness accounts
Kiera French, 18, who also works at the Seaview Beach Diner, said someone ran in shouting for help. She told the Mirror: "Some people got into trouble in the water - quite a few of them. There was obviously quite a lot of panic on the beach."
"Someone was screaming for help, I guess because he couldn't swim. Two young girls came over to the café asking for a life buoy. I pointed them in the direction of one, then got straight on the phone to 999. I stayed on the phone to 999, and then when they arrived they took over. I just think they didn't know about the tides and got caught out. It's just unfortunate they didn't know how strong the tide was."
A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "Following reports of multiple people in distress in the water at Sea View Holiday Park, West Mersea, we dispatched multiple resources including our Hazardous Area Response Team, critical care paramedics and two air ambulances. Sadly, despite best efforts, two patients could not be resuscitated. One patient was transported by air to hospital, and a further three patients were transported by road to hospital."
Rita Coombs, a local resident, described the tragedy as a "nightmare". She told the BBC: "It was absolutely horrific. I can't praise the emergency services [enough]. It was beyond all belief - they worked so hard."
"The feeling was we just wanted to go out and help. Our hearts were going out to those people fighting for their lives," she added. "It's a very sad island at the moment. We're just sending our thoughts to the people that have passed and the people left behind. It's tragic, absolutely tragic."
