Man dies after incident in sea off Cornish beach

A witness said the operation was "extensive" involving helicopters and lifeboats

One man has died and a second suffered injuries following an incident in the sea off Cornwall.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were called to Mawgan Porth beach near Newquay at about 20:30 BST on Tuesday, following reports of concern for two people in the water.

The force said a man in his 40s from the Oxford area was confirmed dead at the scene after being recovered from the water and being given emergency treatment.

Another man suffered minor injuries. The police said the death was not being treated as suspicious and the man's next of kin had been informed.

Mawgan Porth beach has lifeguards present from 10:00 BST to 18:00 during the summer

An eyewitness told BBC Radio Cornwall multiple ambulances and rescue craft were at the scene.

"The first I saw was a group of people gathered on the beach, with other people looking at them, it was fairly obvious that something bad had happened," he said.

He said rescue teams and the coastguard helicopter had arrived at the scene "within minutes".

"It was apparent the person on the beach was in big trouble as they started resuscitation and that went on for some time.

"Somebody went to the lifeguard hut for the defibrillator, so it was obviously very serious."

He said the search went on into darkness with boats "scouring the bay" with searchlights.

Another witness, Sally Rustom, said she was eating dinner when she noticed helicopters in the area.

"The operation was extensive," she said.

"If I had somebody that I cared about, that was lost, I'd be so impressed [with] how long they stayed to try and find somebody.

"They were there, I would say, for an hour and a half.

"It's really sad for everybody."

'Tragic death'

Investigating officer, Det Sgt Dave Squire, said Devon and Cornwall Police was "conducting inquiries on behalf of the coroner to understand the circumstance of this tragic death".

"We will be viewing any available CCTV and speaking to witnesses to fully understand how this happened," he added.

Mawgan Porth beach has RNLI lifeguards on duty between 10:00 BST and 18:00 every day during the summer, and at other other busy times during the year.