Search for woman feared lost at sea called off after she rings rescuers to say she was at home
A SEARCH for a woman feared missing at sea was called off yesterday when she rang rescuers to say she was at home.
Three lifeboats, one helicopter and a coastguard rescue team had been scrambled after a passer-by reported seeing a woman diving into the sea at 8am and not coming back.
Sussex Police said the person who raised the alarm had also seen a pair of abandoned flip flops next to the sea.
But after hearing news of the search, the woman called the RNLI to tell them she was at home.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said: 'There was major reason for concern as this is a dangerous beach and lifeguards were not on yet on duty at the time the swimmer was missed.
"It's a great relief that this person has been found safe and well."
The alarm was raised at around 8am after reports a woman had dived into the water and did not return.
But the swimmer called the RNLI at 11.45am to say she was at home.
Five best friends drowned in what appeared to be a calm sea next to the beach in East Sussex on Wednesday.
Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18, Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan 22, Nitharsan Ravi, 22, Inthushan Sriskantharaja, 23, and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, died after getting into difficulty while they were playing football.
Ken and Kobi from Erith, south east London, drowned trying to rescue two pals who were trapped underwater in sticky quick sand.
The four men, along with another friend who tried to rescue the pair, died after being dragged to their deaths by a powerful riptide.
Beach-goers watched on in horror as they were pulled, one-by-one, from the sea by emergency crew.
Satthiyanathan Arumukam, 51, has told how he brought his boys to the UK from Sri Lanka because he "thought it would be safe for my family to live in Britain".
Up to six RNLI lifeguards were due to be on duty at Camber Sands over the weekend, plus a team giving safety information to beach-goers between Saturday and Monday.
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