6 MISSING CHILDREN AT CAMBER SANDS

Dover Coastguards received a 999 call at just after 1330 hours on 24 June 2001, reporting that 2 three-year-old children were missing along the Camber Sands in Rye Bay, East Sussex.

Coastguards alerted Coastguard search teams from Rye, Camber and Dungeness to search the shoreline with local lifeguards. Rye Inshore lifeboat was launched to conduct an inshore search and an RAF rescue helicopter R125 from Wattisham was scrambled to assist.

During the course of the search, 4 further children were reported missing; all aged between 3 and 15 years of age, and serious concern was expressed for their safety, mainly due to the strong tidal flow along that coastline.