The bodies of two friends have been pulled from the sea off the coast of Brighton.
A huge search and rescue operation was launched on Monday after an inflatable dinghy was seen drifting out at sea early in the afternoon.
The worrying discovering prompted lifeboats and coastguard to spend nine hours scouring the waters on Monday and searches resumed on Tuesday morning.
The body of a man was recovered from the English Channel just after 5pm on Monday, police said.
He has not yet been identified but he is believed to be linked to the unoccupied green dinghy.
Two bodies have been recovered from the Sussex coast over the past 24 hours. It is believed the victims had been using this small inflatable boat. The victims are not believed to migrants
The body of a man was recovered off the coast of West Sussex yesterday
A major search operation was launched yesterday after the body was reported into the water
On Monday, 116 people were rescued from the sea by the Coastguard and the RNLI
Police said the dinghy contained ‘some personal effects’ appearing to belong to someone living in Sussex.
As police sought to establish his identity it became apparent that his friend was also missing.
Emergency searches continued on Monday evening until 11pm and resumed on Tuesday morning at 6am.
About 8.45am on Tuesday a body was spotted by the coastguard helicopter and brought ashore on a lifeboat.
The body has not been formally identified but is believed to be that of the missing man, police said.
His next of kin have been informed.
HM Coastguard dealt with 340 individual incidents across the whole of the UK on Saturday, its highest amount of call-outs in a single day for over four years.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency told MailOnline: ‘The search and rescue helicopter from Lee-on-the-Solent, RNLI lifeboats from Shoreham, Brighton and Newhaven and the Coastguard Rescue Teams from Shoreham and Littlehampton assisted Sussex Police with a search off Shoreham today (August 11) following further information received about an inflatable dinghy found drifting off Shoreham yesterday (August 10).’
On Monday, 169 incidents were reported to the Coastguard, including 87, 999 emergency calls.
The RNLI spent nine hours searching for the second victim yesterday before resuming the operation this morning at first light.
The RNLI launched both its inshore and all-weather live boats at 6am.
As a result of the current heatwave and the difficulty of going on holiday abroad, hundreds of thousands of Britons have been flocking to the beach.
On Friday alone, the coastguard responded to 70 call-outs by mid-day, which is ‘above average for this time of year.
The Coastguard reported its busiest day for more than four years as it dealt with 329 incidents on July 31, when the UK recorded the hottest day of the year and the third warmest on record, with the mercury rising to 37.8C (100.04F) at Heathrow Airport.
Matt Leat, head of infrastructure and technology lead at HM Coastguard, said this weekend could see a similar number of call-outs as families take advantage of the heatwave.
Mr Leat urged the public not to use inflatables at the beach as they get blown out to sea, and to check the tide to keep safe and to look out for each other.
On Saturday, HM Coastguard dealt with 340 individual incidents across the UK – the highest level of call outs for four years.
On Friday, they had 329 emergency calls.
According to HM Coastguard: ‘Packed coastlines and beaches kept us very busy throughout another hot heatwave day, which saw Coastguard Rescue Teams attend 221 incidents.
‘Both the RNLI and independent lifeboats were called out on 155 occasions combined and aircraft (30 taskings) were also used to assist at the coast and sea.
‘HM Coastguard responded to 186 999 calls yesterday and coordinated search and rescue responses to a wide-range of incidents, which included people being cut off by the tide and children swept out to sea on inflatables.
I’n total, the service rescued 146 people and assisted a further 371 people.’
In figures released by the Coastguard, compared with August 2019, they are dealing with 145 per cent increase in emergency calls. .
HM Coastguard Head of Coastguard Operations Richard Hackwell said: ‘We have seen a big rise in incident numbers this weekend as more people visit coastal areas and head to the beach. We understand that people want to have fun at the coast and enjoy the heatwave but we urge everyone to respect the sea and take responsibility in helping to ensure the safety of themselves, friends and family.
‘We’re heading into a period of more good weather so we want to remind you to check and double check tide times as even the most experienced swimmer or keen watersports enthusiast can get caught out by currents and tides. Plan your day out, always exercise caution and make sure you have a way of contacting us if you get into trouble.’
He added: ‘As our latest statistics show, we’ll always respond when someone calls 999 and asks for the Coastguard but help us to help you by not making choices which could put yourself and others at risk.
‘Every time our frontline teams respond – as they always do and always will – please don’t forget that they’re also put at risk too. Take extra care at the coast today and over the coming days. We don’t want you to remember your day-out for all the wrong reasons.’
Meanwhile, the RNLI has called on beachgoers to follow water safety advice and adhere to social distancing.
Last week, the charity carried out 30 rescues in one day on just one beach in Cornwall.
Anyone who sees a person in trouble should alert lifeguards or call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
A coastguard helicopter was also involved in yesterday’s search and rescue operation