Three surfers die in Cornwall after getting caught in riptide

Three surfers have died after getting caught in a riptide at a beach in Cornwall.

Two men and a woman were among seven people who got into difficulty at Mawgan Porth, near Newquay.

Four of the group, all children, made it safely back to shore, but two men, one his 50s and one in his 20s or 30s, and a woman in her 30s, were airlifted to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

According to the BBC, the search and rescue mission involved Newquay and Padstow Coastguard rescue teams, RNLI lifeboats and a Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose.

According to the Mirror, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it received a host of 999 calls from people at the beach from around 1.15pm.

It said in a statement: "The group who got into difficulty consisted of seven people with boards in the water; four people were all located safe and well on shore but three adults were recovered from the water.

"Two of those recovered from the water were given CPR at the scene.

"The three casualties were transferred to hospital by the rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose and both the Devon and Cornwall Air Ambulances."

Devon and Cornwall Police also issued a statement that said: "Three people were taken unconscious from the sea and taken to Treliske (hospital) for treatment in a serious condition.

"Sadly all three people were later pronounced deceased in hospital. They are two men and a woman."

Speaking to the Guardian, Peter Abell, owner of the Kingsurf surf school at Mawgan Porth – which was not involved in the incident - said the group were probably tourists, although this has not been verified.

He said conditions were "slightly more dangerous than usual", adding: "The waves were bigger, they were quite big. And it wasn't the safest of days to be in the sea.

"But it wasn't particularly dangerous. There were lots of safe places to be and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The news comes after another tragedy occurred in Cornwall on Saturday, when a man found on Newquay beach in the early hours of the morning died.

The man, in his early 20s, was airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital by helicopter after a lifeboat crew found him at Great Western Beach, reports the Cornish Guardian.

But he was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

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