Man and woman die after being pulled from sea at Fistral Beach, Newquay

A father and daughter have died after being recovered from the water at one of Cornwall’s best-known surf beaches on Sunday night, and police have now issued an appeal to help the family.

What happened

Police were called by the South Western Ambulance Service at around 9.45pm on Sunday 26 July, after reports that two people had been pulled from the water at Fistral Beach, Newquay.

Despite the best efforts of emergency services, a woman in her 30s and a man in his 60s were pronounced dead at the scene. Both were from Doncaster. Their families have been informed.

The emergency response

A large search and rescue operation was already under way by the time officers arrived. Coastguard rescue teams from Newquay, Padstow and St Agnes attended the beach, alongside lifeboats from Newquay RNLI and an HM Coastguard helicopter.

A cordon was put in place while emergency services carried out their work. It has since been removed. Police have thanked all the emergency service personnel and members of the public who responded.

A file will be prepared for HM Coroner.

Appeal for a handbag

Police say the woman had entered the water carrying a handbag, described as orange or peach in colour with a shoulder strap. The bag is believed to be leather-style and around 30cm by 30cm in size, and is thought to contain a number of personal items of great sentimental value to her loved ones.

The family would take great comfort in being reunited with the belongings. Anyone who finds a bag matching that description is asked to hand it in to Newquay Police Station, or to contact police quoting incident number 50260197209.

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