A man in his late 50s or early 60s has died after being pulled from the sea by members of the public at Durley Chine Beach in Bournemouth.

The emergency unfolded on Sunday afternoon, when bystanders and emergency medical teams spent considerable time attempting to save the man's life directly on the shoreline. Despite those efforts, Dorset Police confirmed that he was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to witnesses, the incident began at around 3.40pm. Five members of the public initially rushed into the water to haul the man out of the sea after noticing him in difficulty near the shoreline.

Among those who stepped in was local Bournemouth influencer James Edward Lees, who had been relaxing on the sand above the groynes when he spotted a disturbance. Mr Lees told the Bournemouth Echo that he saw a man on the ground with two or three women around him, half in and half out of the water, prompting him to leave his belongings and run across to help.

Working alongside four other bystanders, Mr Lees helped pull the man fully onto dry sand. The group placed him into the recovery position before dialling 999 at 3.47pm. Mr Lees then ran to a nearby beachfront venue to collect a wall-mounted defibrillator to assist with the resuscitation effort.

In total, around eight people worked together on the beach to try to keep the man alive while waiting for professional medical teams to arrive. That group included an off-duty Metropolitan Police officer and a trained nurse, who both carried out CPR at the water's edge.

A major emergency services response followed swiftly. Roughly ten emergency vehicles arrived along the promenade, bringing coastguard teams, police officers, and paramedics to the scene, while a rescue helicopter circled overhead twice.

Dorset Police confirmed they were formally alerted at 4.13pm to reports of a man requiring urgent medical attention near Bournemouth Pier. A spokesperson for the force stated that emergency services attended, but the man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious and that the man's family has been informed. The force added that their thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.

The incident caused significant distress to people on the beach, with witnesses describing onlookers crying and comforting one another as the rescue unfolded. Mr Lees remained on the beach afterwards to offer support and condolences to the man's relatives, who included his Ukrainian son-in-law.

What we do not know yet is the man's identity or the precise medical cause of his death, as official details regarding his name have not been released by authorities. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.