(Image: Kevin Allitt/PA Wire)
A body has been found in the search for a 13-year-old boy who got into difficulty while swimming in the sea off the Yorkshire coast.
Humberside Police said formal identification is yet to take place but it is believed the body is that of the teenage boy who went missing after entering the water in Hornsea on Tuesday (August 4).
The force said the boy’s family has been informed and is being supported by officers.
A major search was launched after the boy got into difficulty swimming in the South Promenade area shortly after 6pm on Tuesday.
Chief Superintendent Phil Booker, from Humberside Police, said the body was recovered from the water at about 4.30am on Wednesday.
He said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner.
"This is an incredibly heartbreaking outcome, and our thoughts are with the boy’s family and friends at this devastating time,” Ch Supt Booker said.
Emergency services during the search in Hornsea on Tuesday (August 4)
(Image: North Yorkshire Weather Updates)
He said an “extensive search operation” was launched after the boy entered the water involving specialist Humberside search officers, HM Coastguard, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.
Footage and photographs taken at the scene show a lifeboat on the sea, and an HM Coastguard helicopter circling above.
“We know the sadness and concern this will cause in the community, and we would ask that the family’s privacy is respected during this incredibly difficult time,” Ch Supt Booker said.
“I would like to thank all of the emergency services involved in the search, along with members of the public for their support and cooperation.”
Charlie Dewhirst, MP for Bridlington and the Wolds, urged people not to speculate about the events leading to the body being found.
He said he was “deeply saddened by the heartbreaking news” that the body had been recovered, adding: "My thoughts and prayers are with the child’s family and friends at this truly awful time."
Charlie Dewhirst, MP for Bridlington and the Wolds
(Image: Supplied)
Mr Dewhirst thanked the emergency services, volunteers and "members of our local community who worked tirelessly in the rescue effort". "Their dedication and compassion during this difficult time has been truly remarkable,” he said.
The MP added: “I respectfully ask that everyone allow the family privacy and I urge people to avoid speculation in order to allow the relevant authorities to continue their investigation.”
Hornsea's mayor, Stephen Prescott, and deputy mayor, Nick Cox, said they offered their "heartfelt condolences" to the boy's loved ones.
"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating loss," they said in a joint statement.
"We would also like to express my sincere thanks to all the emergency services involved, including Hornsea Inshore Rescue, HM Coastguard, Humberside Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and all the other people involved, for their tireless efforts and professionalism throughout the response."
Tuesday’s incident in East Yorkshire happened less than 20 miles away from where 15-year-old Grace Keeling was swept out to sea in January.
Grace died in the sea at Withernsea, along with her mother, Sarah Keeling, 45, and local man Mark Ratcliffe, 67, who went into the water to help her on the afternoon of January 2 and immediately got into difficulties themselves, an inquest heard in May.
The search for Grace’s body took 13 days and it was eventually found trapped among giant boulders used for sea defences to the south of where the incident happened.
According to Press Association estimates, at least 39 deaths have been reported this summer from open-water incidents.
The National Water Safety Forum reported there were 202 water-related fatalities across the whole of last year in the UK, adding that 2026 data will not be published until May next year.