A helicopter was scrambled after the man, in his 60s, and his daughter, in her 30s, were pulled from the sea at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, at 9.45pm on Sunday18:00, 27 Jul 2026Updated 18:34, 27 Jul 2026A father and daughter were on Sunday night swept to their deaths at one of Britain's most famous surfing spots.‌A helicopter was scrambled after the man, in his 60s, and his daughter, in her 30s, were pulled from the sea at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, at 9.45pm on Sunday. Desperate efforts were made to revive the pair, who were on holiday from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, but police confirmed they died at the scene.‌Officers have now revealed the woman was carrying an "orange or peach" handbag with a shoulder strap when she entered the water. They appealed for anyone who found the leather-style bag to hand it in, saying it contained a number of personal items of “great sentimental value to her loved ones”.‌A coastguard helicopter was deployed along with search and rescue teams from Newquay, Padstow and St Agnes and lifeboats from Newquay RNLI during the rescue mission. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said today: "Despite the best efforts of emergency services, a woman in her 30s and a man in his 60s, who were both from Doncaster, were pronounced deceased at the scene. Their families have been informed, and thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time."A cordon was put in place while emergency services carried out their work but has since been removed. A file will now be prepared for HM Coroner. We would like to thank all the emergency service personnel and the public involved in responding to this tragic incident."‌He added: "We now understand that the woman who sadly lost her life had entered the water carrying a handbag described as orange or peach in colour, with a shoulder strap. The bag is believed to be leather-style and approximately 30cm by 30cm in size. It is thought to contain a number of personal items of great sentimental value to her loved ones."At what is an incredibly difficult time for the family, they would take great comfort in being reunited with these belongings if possible."‌Mayor of Newquay, Drew Creek, described the solemn mood in the town today. He said: "We're all feeling the loss of the individuals. They were down on holiday we understand and [this is] not the way you would want anyone's holiday here in Newquay to be. Our thoughts and our feelings go out to the families affected."We heard the helicopter quite low over the bay and of course whenever you hear that as a resident your heart sinks because you know that they are out there for a reason and I suppose our worst fears were realised this morning when we woke up to the news."The 750 metre-long beach is known as the “home of British surfing” and is known for massive winter wave swells. It hosts several surf competitions throughout the year including Boardmasters, and is the birthplace of champion longboarder Ben Skinner.‌The tragedy came just hours after a man died after getting into difficulty while in the sea near West Wittering beach, West Sussex, at around 2.30pm on Sunday. Police pulled two men out from the water and pronounced one dead at the scene, while the other was taken to hospital.It means 40 people have now drowned in open water since late May, with record-breaking temperatures gripping the country. It has sparked fresh warnings about cooling off in open water as the school holidays begin, with campaigners arguing that drowning has become a national emergency.The Mirror’s Save Lives for Sam campaign is drawing attention to the spate of deaths and calling for better water safety education. Bereaved families and MPs are backing our campaign, named in memory of Sam Haycock, 16, who died in a reservoir in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in 2021.‌We are calling for compulsory water safety lessons, a national awareness drive, proper rescue equipment at dangerous waters and Sam’s Law to make protections permanent.Yesterday, a relative of a mother and her teenage daughter who drowned off the Essex coast said they were swept out to sea by a "very strong" tide. Shahin Ahmed said six members of his family were paddling at West Mersea beach when they were knocked off their feet on Wednesday afternoon.‌Shelina Rahman, 41, and 15-year-old Sameeha, died in the tragedy last Wednesday, while Ahmed's seven-year-old son Musa was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. Ahmed said his son, who is from east London, remained on a life support machine at a hospital in London.Three others were also taken to another hospital by ambulance after the incident. Ahmed said 12 of them were visiting West Mersea that day. "This was 20 minutes before we were going to go home. The whole day, alhamdulillah (praise be to God), was really nice," Ahmed told Bangladeshi newspaper Surma News.Article continues belowAhmed said the waves were "quite small" when members of his group paddled with "their legs in the water". However, he continued: "One tide, when it hit them hard all of them their feet went off… And this is where the panic mode started."Ahmed, who was packing the car up, said he was alerted to them drowning and rushed back to the beach. "I went straight in to try and swim – I couldn't. It kept on pushing me back," he added.