Mother and teenage daughter named as victims of sea tragedy after man died trying to save them

A mother and daughter have been identified as the victims of a tragedy at sea after a 67-year-old man died trying to save them.

45-year-old Sarah Keeling and daughter 15-year-old Grace Keeling have been named after 67-year-old Mark Ratcliffe entered the dangerous waters at Withernsea, East Yorkshire, to rescue the pair.

The bodies of Mr Ratcliffe and Mrs Keeling were were recovered on Friday evening, the Humberside Police confirmed, while officers continued to search for Grace.

The coastguard stood down their search at 16:00 on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Ratcliffe was described as "a true selfless hero with a heart of gold, who was so cruelly taken trying to save others," by his family.

Mr Ratcliffe's family said: "So many lives are now shattered that you're gone. You were loved by so many people, and we will all miss you forever.

"A loving husband, father, son, brother and the best grandad anybody could ever wish for. Sleep tight, we love you, we miss you."

The 67-year-old's son took to Facebook, thanking the RNLI, HM coastguards and emergency services for doing "all they could".

"Bye Dad, I miss you and I will never forget the true hero and role model you were," he wrote.

Reports of swimmers in difficulty were first received at around 3:10pm on Friday, with RNLI, police, the Ambulance Service and Fire and Rescue crews all rushing to the scene.

Eyewitnesses described people rushing to the beach after a girl had fallen into the water.

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Mrs Keeling and Mr Ratcliffe are said to have entered the water to rescue the girl, but struggled after freak three-metre high waves were battering the coast in "bitter" conditions.

The RNLI thanked members of the public who had "assisted and supported" the emergency services.

"This is a very tragic incident and our thoughts are with the families, friends and all those impacted," they said.

Police tape sealed off the steep steps down to sea underneath the town’s famous Pier Towers.

Flowers were also laid on the promenade in tribute to those who had died in the tragedy.

Paul Whitehead, owner of the Castle Cafe near the beach, described the incident as "It's just an accident, a tragic accident, and it has affected the town deeply."

Mr Whitehead also explained how one of his waitresses, a woman in her 30s who requested not to be named, jumped into action after hearing desperate cries from the beach nearby and tried to help the girl.

"There was a crowd all trying to help get the girl," he told The Sun. "The girl’s mum was by my colleague’s side and they both went into the water to pull the girl out."

"Her mum went to try and grab her daughter, my colleague was just inches away from grabbing the girl too, but then the current took them both out," he added.

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