A 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy have died as a result of an accident on a Bournemouth beach.
Just after 4 o’clock today, emergency services were called to the scene.
Near Bournemouth Pier, a group—which included a few kids—had encountered trouble in the sea.
The deaths of two minors, a 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, have now been verified by Dorset Police.
A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan said: ‘Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the young people who tragically died and we are doing all we can to support their families.
‘I understand the beach was very busy at the time of the incident and I would ask anyone with information that may assist our enquiries to please come forward.
‘We are at the early stages of our investigation and would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident.’
Dorset Police said they received a report from paramedics at around 4.30pm on Wednesday afternoon of people requiring assistance on the beach off Bournemouth Pier.
Ten people were subsequently recovered from the water but a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl had suffered critical injuries.
They were taken to hospital but later died, the force said, and their families have been informed.
The other eight people were treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.
People were told to evacuate the beach earlier and watched on in shock as the rescue took place.
Eeman Qamar, from Southampton, was on the beach with her mother and three-month-old baby at the time of the incident.
She told the BBC: The lifeguards started getting on jet skis and boats, searching the sea and about 20 minutes later the second air ambulance arrived and it took another hour-and-a-half for them to finish the whole search and rescue operation.’
Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said the incident was a ‘salutary lesson’ that ‘danger is ever present’ on beaches and the ocean.
‘Thoughts with everyone associated with the dreadful events unfolding in Bournemouth this evening,’ he said.
‘A salutary lesson that our beaches and ocean can give much pleasure but danger is ever present.
‘Thanks to the Life Guards and the Air Ambulance who we can take for granted.’
Earlier in the day, parents had paid tribute to their son who died after entering a river to cool off.
The body of Lewis Michael Kirkpatrick was found in the river Eden in Carlisle, Cumbria, at about 1.30pm on Saturday.
Emergency services had received reports that Lewis and three other teenage boys had got into trouble in the water on Friday evening.
His parents, Nichola and Paul Kirkpatrick, released a statement through police on Wednesday.
They warned of the dangers of rivers, saying: ‘We don’t want any other families to suffer the same, awful loss.’
Two weeks ago, another teenager lost his life in a river while out with friends.
Police were called to the village of Barrow-upon-Soar in Leicestershire following reports from the fire service that there were four boys in the river.
The teenagers were rescued but one was pronounced dead at the scene.