Girl, 6, dies after going into sea at Margate

The youngster had been visiting the seaside resort from Erith, south-east London

Griselda Mussett Margate beach — The youngster had been visiting the seaside resort from Erith, south-east London

A six-year-old girl has died after going into the sea at Margate harbour.

The youngster, from Erith, south-east London, was taken to hospital after the alarm was raised at 15:15 BST on Saturday.

She later died despite the rescue efforts of the South East Coast Ambulance Service and lifeguards.

Kent Police said officers had been "called to concerns for a girl in the sea". The force added there were no suspicious circumstances.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.

'Swarmed the harbour'

Jane Fright was walking with her husband when she looked out to sea and thought "that doesn't look right"'.

She said she saw the girl floating in the water and that she appeared to be alone, which is when her husband called the emergency services.

"It was a nice day, but the sea was really rough," she added.

The girl was taken to the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate but later died

Shannon Owen Margate beach — The girl was taken to the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate but later died

Another witness, who did not want to be named, said the beach was "heaving" with tourists on what he described as a "warm but windy day".

He said he saw the emergency services "swarm" the harbour as they tried to rescue the girl.

The father of three said: "[It] makes me want to avoid going in the water."

Shannon Owen told the BBC that she heard a lot of sirens.

"Got up to look out of the window to see the police running across the beach while the girl was getting CPR."

The same ambulance crew had been called to Westbook Bay in Margate at about 12:50 on Saturday after reports a boy had got into difficulties in the water.

He was taken to the hospital in a serious condition, a South East Coast Ambulance Service spokeswoman told the BBC.

She said the ambulance service had had a lot of "water-related calls" during the hot weather, and was warning the public to be aware of the dangers around water.

Margate beach was crowded with visitors enjoying the hot weather when the girl was recovered from the sea

Two bodies were recovered on Saturday in separate incidents.

A 15-year-old boy whose body was found near Clacton Pier in Essex has been named locally as Ben Quartermaine.

The body of a man in his 20s was pulled from the Great Ouse in Bedfordshire, amid reports someone had got into difficulty in the water on Friday afternoon.