Tara Lopez, who was also on the beach, said the tide was going out when tragedy struck. She added: "I have only been to the beach once before and have noticed the lack of flags but didn't notice the absence of lifeguards until today. A beach patrol, however, was present and became more present after the incident."

Another witness, Natalja Taylor, 30, who was on a day trip with her husband, said police were driving up the beach with a loudspeaker urging people to stay out of the sea.

"We were sat on a hill a bit further away and we saw three people being pulled out of the water," she said. "I think the people who rescued them were regular people, not emergency personnel.

"Police drove on to the beach with a loudspeaker, telling people not to go into the water until further notice. They also taped off a huge chunk of the beach so no one could get near it.