Overview
- Officers called off efforts to find 63-year-old Matthew Upham and a man in his 40s after an unofficial Christmas Day swim at Budleigh Salterton.
- Upham’s family said they are heartbroken, thanked emergency services for their efforts, and wrote that he is deeply loved and will be forever missed.
- A large multi-agency operation began just before 10:30am on Christmas Day and continued until last light without locating the two missing men.
- Several other swimmers required assistance at the beach, with some taken to hospital as a precaution according to reports from the scene.
- Witness Mike Brown described conditions as much worse than normal and said two local men waded in to pull him to safety.