Camber Sands deaths: Lifeguards to be reviewed

Lifeguards have been working alongside beach patrols at Camber Sands

A review is under way into whether lifeguards should be deployed at a beach where six people recently died.

Thousands have signed a petition calling for lifeguards on Camber Sands in East Sussex during the summer.

A 19-year-old man died while swimming at the beach in July. A further five people on a day trip to the area died in August.

Rother District Council said it was looking at "all the options" as part of its review.

'Tragic events'

Vasanth Koneswaran, whose cousin Kurushanth Srithavarajah was one of the casualties in August, said: "If there were lifeguards there they could have been saved.

"I'm angry. They were all the friends I really had."

A council spokesman said a decision on whether to provide a lifeguard service was yet to be made.

"In light of recent tragic events and the changing profile of visitors to the beach, we are in the process of reviewing and considering all options for next year."

A temporary lifeguard team provided by the RNLI has been in place at Camber Sands since August. It will be in place for the rest of the summer season, handing out safety information to beach-goers.

An RNLI spokesman said: "We have been talking to Rother District Council but no lifeguard service has been agreed for 2017."

Deaths at Camber Sands

About 25,000 people use the Sussex beach safely on a fine day, according to the Rother District Council

Five men from south-east London died on 24 August:

• Brothers Kenugen and Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, 18 and 22, from Erith

• Nitharsan Ravi, 22, from Plumstead

• Inthushan Sriskantharaja, 23, from Grays

• Kurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, from Welling

Brazilian Gustavo Silva Da Cruz, 19, died on 24 July