Sal Galloway, a 59-year-old mother of two, has been named locally as the woman who died after being swept out to sea while walking her dog on the Isle of Wight seafront during Storm Boelo.
She was walking on the coastal promenade between Sandown and Shanklin during severe weather yesterday morning when powerful waves crashed into her.
Emergency Response and Discovery
A major emergency service operation involving police, paramedics and Coastguard Rescue Teams with a lifeboat and a helicopter was launched just after 11am. A body was found shortly after midday south of Sandown pier.
Hampshire Police said in a statement: "At 11.17am Monday October 26, our Isle of Wight Ambulance Service partners informed us of a concern for welfare of a woman in the water at Lake. We attended the scene to assist our IOWAS and HM Coastguard partners.
"The woman, aged in her 50s, was brought out of the water. Sadly, despite the very best efforts of all emergency services in attendance, she was pronounced deceased at the scene."
Her next of kin have been updated and a file will now be prepared for the coroner.
Tributes and Warnings
Devastated friends and relatives have left tributes to Sal on social media. One friend said: "Rest in peace my dear friend Sal Galloway, didn't see you much but you were a lovely lady. Always had time for everyone. Condolences to your family and friends. And bloody hell did you have a lot of them."
Another, apparently one of her cousins, added: "RIP to my beautiful cousin Sal Galloway. I can't believe I'm writing this. Fly high my darling xxx."
And a third said: "Can't get my head round it, I'm just so in shock, so sorry Sal, condolences to your family." The condition of the dog she was walking is not known.
The tragic news comes after a weekend of storms and high winds with parts of the UK battered by heavy rain and stormy seas in coastal areas. The Environment Agency had issued a flood alert for the Isle of Wight coastline over the weekend, warning that strong winds and large waves could cause seawater to wash over coastal defences.
Sandown and Shanklin were among the locations identified as being at risk, alongside Yarmouth, Freshwater Bay, Gurnard and Ryde. Forecasters warned that waves could crash over sea defences and flood exposed esplanades, seafront roads and car parks.
A further flood alert issued on Sunday warned of possible coastal flooding around high tide, with water levels on Monday morning expected to be higher than those forecast for the previous day.
Following the woman's death, the Isle of Wight Council issued an urgent coastal safety warning, urging residents and visitors to exercise extreme caution around beaches, sea walls and exposed coastal paths.
