Father and daughter die after getting into difficulty at Cornwall beach

A father and daughter have died at a Cornwall beach after getting into difficulty at sea, police have said.

Police were called to Fistral Beach, Newquay, on Sunday evening at around 9.45pm, some 15 minutes after HM Coastguard was first informed of an incident in the area.

Coastguard rescue teams from Newquay, Padstow and St Agnes, lifeboats from Newquay RNLI and a HM Coastguard helicopter were sent to the scene.

A man in his 60s and a woman in her 30s, who were both from Doncaster, were subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.

While a cordon was put in place, it has since been lifted. Police said the victims' families have been informed and that "our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time".

Devon and Cornwall Police said the family of the two are seeking to recover a handbag the woman was carrying when she entered the water, which is believed to contain items of sentimental value.

It is described as leather-style, with a shoulder strap, orange or peach in colour and approximately 30cm by 30cm in size.

The force said "anyone who finds a bag matching the description is asked to hand it in to Newquay Police Station," or contact police.

Police also said: "A file will be prepared for HM Coroner."

The long, sandy beach is well-known for being one of the best surfing beaches in Europe and is home to a range of seafront facilities.

The beach has an RNLI lifeguard patrol in place during the summer months, but only between 10am and 6pm.

It hosts an RNLI lifeguard station and is one beach down from the RNLI Newquay Lifeboat Station.

Elsewhere, a man also died at a beach in Sussex, near Pound Road in West Wittering, after police were called on Sunday at about 2.30pm to reports of two men in difficulty in the water.

The men were pulled from the sea, with one being pronounced dead at the scene and the other taken to hospital.

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In West Mersea, Essex, a mother and her teenage daughter died in the water last week.

And in nearby Clacton a man was left in a critical condition after three swimmers got into difficulty near the pier on Saturday.

While the exact details of what happened in the new incidents are not yet known, RNLI warned that heatwaves bring a sharp increase in the risk of drowning as more people try to cool off in water.

(c) Sky News 2026: Father and daughter die after getting into difficulty at Cornwall beach