Five people have died after being pulled from the sea at Camber Sands beach in southern England.

Emergency services were called after three people were found in need of urgent medical aid at the coast near Rye, East Sussex on Wednesday afternoon.

Later this evening the Royal National Lifeboat Institution confirmed that two more had been pulled from the waves and subsequently died.

The popular beach was packed with hundreds of beachgoers and families enjoying the record 33C temperatures when tragedy happened early this afternoon.

Coastguard helicopters, a lifeboat, rescue teams and an air ambulance were sent to the scene after reports the three were in need of urgent medical assistance.

Sussex Police said it was not yet known who the men were or if they knew one another.

It is the second serious incident to take place recently at Camber Sands. In July, a 19-year-old Brazilian Gustavo Silva da Cruz died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the sea.