Searches for a third person following an incident off the East Yorkshire coast were called off on Saturday afternoon. Two people have died and a third is missing after trying to help a teenage girl who was “washed away” in the sea off the East Yorkshire coast on Friday, according to earlier reports.

HM Coastguard said at around 4pm on Saturday, January 3, the search operation around Withernsea, where the incident took place, was stood down. A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “After resuming shoreline searches in Withernsea for one missing person today, January 3, HM Coastguard stood down its extensive search effort this afternoon”. Humberside Police previously said they were called to Central Promenade in Withernsea at 3.15pm on Friday, January 2.  

A 67-year-old man was pulled unconscious from the water and died at the scene, the force said, while a second person’s body was recovered on Friday evening.

Searches resumed on Saturday morning for a third person and HM Coastguard, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and Humberside Fire and Rescue remained in the area.  

Eyewitnesses have claimed several people tried to save the "young girl" after she was allegedly pulled into the sea, with a local business owner saying the teen was on the steps when she was hit by a big wave, which knocked her into the water, HullLive reports. 

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.”  

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.

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.