Overview
- Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton at 10:25am on Christmas Day as multiple swimmers got into difficulty during an unofficial dip.
- HM Coastguard teams, RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth and Torbay, helicopters and a fixed‑wing aircraft searched offshore and along the shoreline.
- Several people were recovered to shore, with one taken to hospital and two treated at the scene, but two men in their 40s and 60s remain missing.
- Search operations at sea were stood down around 5pm due to nightfall, with police continuing land‑based enquiries and families informed of developments.
- A Met Office yellow wind warning highlighted gusts up to 65mph and large waves, leading to cancellations of organised swims, as police appealed for information via 101 quoting log 191 of 25/12/25.