Father and daughter from Doncaster die after Cornwall beach rescue attempt

A woman in her 30s and a man in his 60s from Doncaster died after being pulled from the sea at Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall, on bank holiday Monday, 26 May 2026. Emergency services were called at about 3.50pm, and both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the pair had got into difficulty in the water before they were recovered from the sea. The two were father and daughter, and a cordon was put in place while emergency crews responded on the beach.

Rip currents can run out to sea and quickly drag swimmers out of their depth, while fast-changing tides and Atlantic swell make some beaches dangerous even on calm-looking days. The safest option is to choose a lifeguarded beach, swim between the red and yellow flags, and never ignore local warning signs or lifeguard directions.

If a rip current takes hold, do not fight it. Stay calm, float, raise a hand for help and swim parallel to the shore until free of the current before heading back in.

In February 2024, Cornwall coroner Andrew Cox warned that a bid to halve sea drownings by 2026 was "in real danger of being missed". In 2024, RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards in the South West saved 82 lives, with volunteer lifeboats launched 1,475 times and lifeguards responding to 6,892 incidents, helping 9,178 people overall.

In October 2014, Rachel Dunn, 42, and Kevin Reynolds, 44, both from St Austell, died after being pulled from the sea at Mawgan Porth beach near Newquay. Kevin Reynolds' son Michael later described him as a "fun-loving" dad.