The bodies of three young women have been recovered from the sea off the coast of Brighton.
Sussex Police said a search was launched after concerns were raised for the welfare of a person in the sea at 05:45 BST on Wednesday.
It is not yet known how the women came to be in the water, but the coastguard has ended its search and said it was not looking for anyone else. The women have not been identified.
Ch Supt Adam Hays said: "This is a tragic incident. We are at the very early stages of our inquiries."
Hays added: "I understand the impact this tragic incident has had on the local community and more widely.
"This is a sensitive investigation and we know the public are keen to understand the full circumstances.
"But our priority at this time is identifying these three women and locating their families, who at this point remain unaware they have lost loved ones."
He appealed for anyone with information to contact the force, as he urged people to be patient while inquiries were carried out and to avoid speculation.
Officers said emergency teams were first called to a report of a single person in the water near Black Rocks car park in Madeira Drive, which runs along the beachfront.
On arrival, two more bodies were recovered from the sea nearby.
It is understood that the women were about 20 to 30 years old and were first spotted at Brighton Palace Pier before drifting to the marina, PA Media reported.
Officers are also exploring several lines of inquiry, including that the women may have gone into the sea from the beach near where they were found, and then got into difficulty.
A large cordon was in place around the beach at Black Rock, while emergency teams dealt with the incident. The beach has since reopened.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne asked the public to "refrain from speculation".
Most emergency services had left the scene by the afternoon, and police left the scene on Wednesday evening.
Many people in the community expressed shock after the incident.
Jilly Francis, a regular sea-swimmer in the area, said: "I live very close by and this is the worst I think I've heard of anything happening.
"Today is very rough, so I'd be surprised if they were regular swimmers. I wouldn't swim today because it's too rough, but I normally swim in the summer when it's calmer.
"There can be rips or currents, but most of the time this particular bit of the beach is quite safe."
Pam Hinchliffe, a local resident who was visiting the beach, said: "It's tragic. My understanding is it was very early in the morning, so you start thinking, 'what could possibly have caused that?' It's a tragedy."
Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven MP, Chris Ward, said it was "understandably very concerning for our community and everyone affected".
The leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, said she was "shocked and deeply saddened.
"My heart goes out to the friends and family of these women and on behalf of Brighton & Hove, I send sincere condolences."
Sian Berry, MP for Brighton Pavilion MP, added: "Unbearably sad news this morning. My thoughts are with the families and friends of these three women."
And Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle said: "Our seafront is one of the many jewels-in-the-crown of our city, but for tonight I shall only be thinking about the families and friends affected by this tragedy."
The police and crime commissioner described the incident as "awful" and said in a post on X that her thoughts were with the friends and loved ones of the three women who died.
Bourne added: "We must allow police to investigate and refrain from speculation at this time."
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