search for third missing person after two died in freezing sea called off

The search for a third person missing in freezing waters off the Weast Yorkshire coast has been called off.

Two people died after getting into difficulties while trying to help a teenage girl who was ‘washed away’ at the beach in Withernsea on Friday afternoon.

HM Coastguard said at around 4pm on Saturday the ‘extensive’ search operation had been stood down.

A 67-year-old man was pulled unconscious from the water and died at the scene yesterday evening. A second person’s body was recovered later that night.

Emergency services on the snow-blanketed beach at Withernsea following the tragic deaths of two people in the sea (Picture: Hull Live/MEN Media)

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Searches resumed on Saturday morning for a third person and HM Coastguard,Yorkshire Ambulance Service and Humberside Fire and Rescue remained in the area.Paul Whitehead,owner of Castle Cafe on the promenade,told The Telegraph that his staff had tried to help the girl,including one who threw her a life ring.‘Around 3pm a girl,around 15 years old,went down the Pier Towers concrete steps and the seas are so rough,she got washed away,’ he told the newspaper.‘Her parents then went down to try and help her,as did one of my staff,who grabbed a life ring.‘The young girl had hold of the ring but was hit by a wave and couldn’t hold on and went under. ‘Four local men who were on the promenade then also went down to help the parents.’A large-scale rescue operation was launched at Withernsea on the East Yorkshire coast (Picture: Darrin Stevens)A helicopter and air ambulance were deployed as part of the search (Picture: Darrin Stevens)The rescue operation continued deep into the evening (Picture: Darrin Stevens)Karen Higgs,66,told the paper the girl was swept out by the waves.‘I was by the cafe and this woman was running up the front towards the Pier Towers,shouting “she’s in the water,she’s in the water”,’ Ms Higgs told the newspaper.‘I looked and I went across and there was somebody in the water… going in and out with the waves.‘Someone threw a safety ring in for her to catch. She was going out as the ring went in and it went and she never tried to catch it. We were all shouting at her to catch it,catch it. She just didn’t.’Police said circumstances surrounding both deaths are not believed to be suspicious.‘We continue to ask that people avoid the area to allow emergency services to work efficiently and safely,’ the force added.Coastguard and police helicopters are on scene,alongside ambulances and RNLI lifeboat crews (Picture: YappApp)Visitors have been asked to stay away fro the area (Picture: YappApp)A rescue helicopter,coastguard rescue teams from Withernsea,Hornsea and Hull,an RNLI inshore lifeboat from Withernsea and an all-weather lifeboat from Bridlington,and Hornsea Inshore Rescue were also among those who attended the scene,the coastguard said.On Friday,local charity Hornsea Inshore Rescue said on Facebook that it had been called out to Withernsea,but had been ‘unable to launch the lifeboat due to horrendous conditions and three-metre waves’.A later post from the team said it had ‘launched on service’.