Five surfers drown in the Netherlands as sea foam hampers rescue

The bodies of five surfers, several of whom were believed to have professional experience in open-water swimming, were found in the water near Scheveningen, a popular surf hub in the Netherlands about 30 miles southwest of Amsterdam, according to Surfer.com.

It is reported that a group went missing after venturing out into the ocean during a particularly heavy storm. After receiving their first call, the Dutch Coast Guard was able to rescue several people from the water last night, but two were later pronounced dead. When the search recommenced this morning, two more bodies were pulled from the North Sea and, according to the New York Times “one more was seen floating out to sea.” The Coast Guard ended its search in the early afternoon. 

According to DutchNews.nl, 10 people are thought to have been in the water – a group of six, a group of three and one solo surfer. Three of those who died were from The Hague, two from Delft and another is still missing.

During the storm, a combination of waves and severe winds had blown a thick layer of sea foam towards the shore. “Some surfers told the news agency Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau that the thick foam made it especially difficult for those who had fallen from their boards to return to shore.” According to Magicseaweed.com, some went out for a bodysurf, struggling against the strong current and profuse foam. 

The thick foam also made the search difficult for rescue workers. The photos on the Daily Mail Online showed Coast Guard searching the shore for those missing, thigh-deep in foam while a dispatched helicopter tried to blow it away from the shore to help locate bodies.

 The tragedy is still being investigated.