International investigation after woman’s body found 5 miles off English coast

There was a large response from authorities this morning (Picture: Eddie Mitchell)

The body of a woman found five miles out to sea, still wearing her bathing suit, has sparked an international effort to find out who she is.

The unidentified body was spotted by a passing boat in the Channel, five miles off Brighton, earlier this morning.

A lifeboat was sent to recover the body and bring her back to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution station at Brighton Marina.

An investigation will try to establish if the woman went out to sea from the south coast or if she had been onboard a vessel in the Channel.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: ‘Police were called at around 12.30 pm on Saturday, April 19, after a woman’s body was found by a member of the public in the sea about five miles off the coast of Brighton.

The coastguard helped respond to the incident (Picture: Eddie Mitchell)

‘The RNLI recovered the body. Enquiries are ongoing, alongside partner agencies, to identify the woman and establish the full circumstances of the situation.’

Days ago, a man’s body was found in the English Channel roughly two miles from Dover.

An investigation is underway to identify that person as well.

Earlier this month, the family of an 11-year-old girl who disappeared after falling in the Thames was informed after a body was discovered.

Kaliyah Coa, from Beckton in east London, lost her footing while playing with friends on a causeway near City Airport on March 31.

A major search operation was launched, with the London Ambulance Service (LAS), London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the RNLI combing the river, but Kaliyah was not found.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police were alerted after a body was found shortly after 9 am on April 13.

While the body has not been formally identified, Kaliyah’s family were told.

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