A coastguard search operation for two men who went missing in the sea during a Christmas Day swim has been called off.
Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton, in Devon, shortly after 10:25 GMT on Thursday.
While some people were brought back to shore, two men in their 40s and 60s could not be located.
The coastguard stopped searching the water at 17:00, but police said on-shore enquiries continued into the evening. The men’s families have been informed.
While there is no official weather warning in place on Boxing Day, some sea swims have been cancelled and police in Devon and Cornwall have urged people not to get into the water.
Residents of the small town have described the incident as “shocking” and “tragic”.
“I’ve never quite witnessed anything like this,” said John Smyley, who lives close to the beach.
He described it as a “particularly cold day” in the town and said the sea “looked ferocious”.
“It’s very shocking and it’s sad – particularly on Christmas Day,” he added.
Julia Robb was at the beach shortly before the men went missing.
“[The sea] was rougher than I’ve seen it but there were a lot of people on the beach and quite a few going in,” she said.
“As people went in the waves broke over them but everyone was very jolly, getting knocked down and getting up again.
“The waves were big enough to break over people so I reckon they were 5-6ft [1.5-1.8m] probably, as soon as you went in you would’ve been covered in the waves.
“It’s just tragic,” she added.
“It is just such a sad sad thing to happen on Christmas Day, you just feel for the families.”
‘A dangerous vibe’
Ashley Stoneman and Kelsey Jessup both took part in the swim at Budleigh Salterton.
“You knew that there was a vibe that this is kind of dangerous,” Mr Stoneman said.
“Everybody was looking at each other and thinking ‘how far do we go in, how long are we going to go in for?’
“I’m sure a few people would have even looked at and thought – not today.”
Ms Jessup said they initially thought the cold temperatures would be the dangerous part of the day, but then they saw “crazy waves” as they walked along the shoreline.
“All of a sudden it was like Poseidon is having a temper tantrum here with these waves just crashing huge,” she added.
Det Supt Hayley Costar from Devon and Cornwall Police described the incident as “truly tragic” in a statement on Thursday.
“Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and to all who may have witnessed and been impacted by the incident,” she added.
