Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Conditions on the beach were fairly typical, as the BBC's Jon Kay reports 
 
 Two men and a woman have died after getting into difficulty in the sea off a beach in Cornwall. 
 
 They were among seven surfers who had to be helped from the water at Mawgan Porth, near Newquay. 
 
 Four children, who were among the seven, were saved but the adults died after being airlifted to hospital. 
 
 The dead included a man in his 50s from outside the Devon and Cornwall area and a man and woman in their 40s from Cornwall, police said. 
 
 Devon and Cornwall Police said the family of the man in his 50s had been informed of his death. 
 
 Image copyright Cornish Guardian/SWNS Image caption The three adults were taken from the sea unconscious and received medical treatment on the beach 
 
 Image copyright Cornish Guardian/SWNS Image caption Air ambulances from Devon and Cornwall helped ferry the casualties to hospital in Truro 
 
 Coastguards received "multiple 999 calls" at about 13:15 GMT when the seven got into trouble in what is believed to have been a rip current. 
 
 The South Western Ambulance Service said the initial call reported "seven people had been caught in a rip tide". 
 
 After the alarm was raised, a search was launched involving Newquay and Padstow Coastguard rescue teams, RNLI lifeboats and a Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose. 
 
 Image copyright Google Image caption Police described the deaths at Mawgan Porth as a "tragic incident" 
 
 Ian Guy, from the Coastguard's National Maritime Operations Centre, said the three adults were brought in from the sea via a combination of lifeboats and the helicopter. 
 
 The helicopter winch was used to bring one of them to shore and all three were given medical treatment on the beach. 
 
 They were transferred to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro by the navy helicopter and Devon and Cornwall's air ambulances but pronounced dead in hospital. 
 
 'Tragic accident' 
 
 A spokeswoman for the South Western Ambulance Service described the children as "walking wounded" and said they were also taken to the same hospital for treatment. 
 
 The manager of the nearby Merrymoor Inn, said the children, whom he described as "teenagers", were taken to the pub by police after the incident. 
 
 "They were not injured in any way," he said. "They stayed with us in the building for approximately two-and-a-half hours and left with the emergency services." 
 
 Mr Bennett said the weather conditions were "OK" and described the deaths as a "tragic accident." 
 
 "It's a very sad day for us," he said. 
 
 Image copyright Cornish Guardian/SWNS Image caption Rescuers scoured the waters at Mawgan Porth to make sure no-one was left in the sea 
 
 Image copyright Picture from Eyewitness Image caption A Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was involved in a search for the surfers 
 
 Gareth Horner, Newquay lifeboat operations manager, told ITV News his understanding was the seven were "in two groups and that one of the casualties actually entered the sea to assist other people who were in trouble". 
 
 He also said the beach was "dangerous" and conditions in the area were "not really very good for surfing and bodyboarding". 
 
 Peter Abell, owner of the nearby Kingsurf surfing school - which was not involved in the incident - said sea conditions on Sunday were "not as bad as it can be", but added some currents were "slightly more dangerous than usual". 
 
 He said: "The waves were bigger, they were quite big. It wasn't the safest of days to be in the sea but it wasn't particularly dangerous. 
 
 "There were lots of safe places to be and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." 
 
 Image copyright Lucy Higgins Image caption Coastguards received "multiple 999 calls" when the group got into trouble 
 
 Supt Jim Pearce, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "This is a tragic incident and our condolences go out to the families of those involved. 
 
 "Along with the other emergency services, we are now working to ascertain the full circumstances of this incident and our priority is to contact the families of those involved and offer all the support we can." 
 
 The tragedy follows the death of a 23-year-old man who drowned in the sea off Newquay in early hours of Saturday. 
 
 Rip currents 
 
 Sometimes wrongly referred to as rip tides, rip currents are strong, localised and narrow currents of water 
 
 They move directly away from the shore and cut through the lines of breaking waves 
 
 The RNLI has said they can be major problem for surfers, swimmers and bodyboarders, dragging them out of safe depths 
 
 People who do not have the necessary water skills can be placed at risk in a rip current if they panic or exhaust themselves swimming directly against the flow 
 
 Source: Press Association and RNLI ||||| Three surfers have died after getting into difficulties in the sea in Cornwall, police have said. 
 
 Two men and a woman were caught in a rip current off Mawgan Porth beach near Newquay at around 1.30pm on Sunday. An air and sea rescue mission was launched after onlookers spotted a group of seven, including four children, in difficulty in the water. 
 
 The three adults were recovered unconscious from the water but were later pronounced dead. The four children were rescued and were safe, police said. 
 
 Police said the woman and one of the men who died were in their 40s and from Cornwall. The second man was in his 50s and was from outside the police force’s area. A spokesman said his family has been contacted. 
 
 Supt Jim Pearce, of Devon and Cornwall police, said: “This is a tragic incident and our condolences go out to the families of those involved. Along with the other emergency services we are now working to ascertain the full circumstances of this incident and our priority is to contact the families of those involved and offer all the support we can.” 
 
 Locals said there were rough seas along the coast on Sunday afternoon. Peter Abell, owner of the Kingsurf surf school at Mawgan Porth – which was not involved in the incident – said some currents were “slightly more dangerous than usual” but conditions were “not as bad” as they could be. “The waves were bigger, they were quite big. And it wasn’t the safest of days to be in the sea,” he said. “But it wasn’t particularly dangerous. There were lots of safe places to be and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” 
 
 Abell, 30, said beaches were always changing, adding: “You can never predict this.” 
 
 Describing the scene as emergency services started to arrive, Abell said: “I’ve never seen so many police cars and coastguards arrive at the beach before. Everyone was standing around the beach going ‘Oh my God, what’s going on?’ 
 
 “There were two helicopters and three lifeboats … so we knew it was a big deal as soon as we saw that.” 
 
 A spokesman at the Merrymoor Inn, which overlooks the beach, praised the response of emergency services: “The emergency services were here incredibly quickly. It was out of this world. They brought some of them into the pub wrapped in blankets, but it is terrible what has happened.” 
 
 It is not known whether the group were experienced surfers. Inexperienced surfers can place themselves at risk in a rip current if they exhaust themselves swimming against the flow or panic. 
 
 It is unclear whether the water was being watched by lifeguards at the time of the incident. They usually operate on the beach between April and September. 
 
 A spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a search and rescue mission was launched at 1.31pm when onlookers noticed the group in difficulty. RNLI lifeboats and a rescue helicopter, along with Devon and Cornwall police officers and an ambulance crew attended the scene. 
 
 Two of the three recovered from the water were given CPR at the scene before they were airlifted to hospital. 
 
 Mawgan Porth is popular with surfers, who flock to the beach for waves known as Atlantic breakers, and with walkers following the idyllic coastal path.
– Surf tragedy in Britain: Three people died after being caught in a rip current off a beach in Cornwall yesterday. Police say a man and woman in their 40s and a man in his 50s died after they were pulled unconscious from the water and airlifted to the hospital, reports the BBC. Four children in the same group were saved. An emergency services worker describes conditions at the popular Mawgan Porth as "dangerous" and says one of the casualties entered the water to assist others who were struggling. The owner of a nearby surf school tells the Guardian that while the currents may have been slightly more dangerous than usual, he has seen far worse conditions. "The waves were bigger, they were quite big. And it wasn't the safest of days to be in the sea," he says. "But it wasn't particularly dangerous. There were lots of safe places to be and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." (In California earlier this month, surfers were in the right place at the right time to rescue a couple whose romantic hot-air-balloon ride had gone awry.)