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(Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)

Three young women reportedly from the same family died together after being pulled from the sea in Brighton in the early hours of Wednesday (May 13).

Sussex Police described the incident as an “utterly heartbreaking tragedy, having been called to the seafront after a member of the public reported concerns for a woman in the sea. The trio, all thought to be aged between their late teens and early twenties, are believed to have been enjoying a night out while visiting the area.

A relative, writing on X, based in Jamaica, said she had been left “in complete shock” after learning the bodies recovered from Brighton Beach were her cousins, adding: “All three of the girls one time”.

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Floral tributes have been left at the beach(Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)

“My mum just called me to tell me the bodies of the three women that were found in Brighton Beach are my cousins. I am in complete shock because …… All 3 of the girls one time,” she posted on the site, formerly known as Twitter.

They were understood to be visiting the area and enjoying a night out before the tragedy unfolded. When asked “Are they all from Jamaica?”, the relative replied: “No they are not”. The Daily Mail has previously reported that the women are believed to be from London.

Emergency crews were scrambled to the beach, aided by a helicopter and lifeboats at around 5.45am on Wednesday before their bodies were pulled from the water, near Madeira Drive, fully clothed.

Detectives are continuing to pore over hours of CCTV footage as they piece together the final movements of the three young women, amid growing concern they may have been swept from the shoreline after venturing into the water and slipping from a hidden coastal shelf.

Residents who know the shoreline well said the seabed drops away sharply just metres from the beach, creating a treacherous shingle ledge that can catch out even confident paddlers. Investigators are understood to be examining whether the women lost their footing as the ground suddenly fell away beneath them.

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 Beach Patrol vehicles drive along the beach after the bodies of three women were recovered(Image: Getty Images)

Sussex Police has said the trio has been identified, and their next of kin have been informed. “It would not be appropriate to publicly name the women before these procedures are completed. Their loved ones are being supported by specialist officers following their tragic loss,” a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added: “An investigation is ongoing to understand how all three women came to be in the water. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest third-party involvement or criminality.”

Floral tributes have been left by locals, who did not know the girls, close to the spot where they were found. Eve Streeter, who lives nearby, said the whole city had been “shaken” by the news.

She said: “It’s such upsetting news. It shocks the whole city, it’s a tragedy that belongs to the city. This is our water. I’ve had people from London messaging me about it, saying ‘god, what news. It must be shocking for the whole city.’ And it properly is. It’s horrible.