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Two Missing After Budleigh Salterton Christmas Swim as Matthew Upham Is Named

A bystander-led rescue unfolded in six-foot swells under a yellow wind warning.

Overview

  • HM Coastguard ended offshore searches at 5pm on Christmas Day, and Devon and Cornwall Police say land-based enquiries continue.
  • The missing men include antiques dealer Matthew Upham, 63, who was named by relatives in a tribute thanking emergency services.
  • Survivor Mike Brown, 60, said two bystanders dragged him from the surf after he was battered by successive waves and left bloodied.
  • Witnesses reported six-foot waves and wind gusts up to 65mph under a Met Office yellow alert, and several swimmers were treated with one taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
  • An RNLI lifeboat on a training exercise responded but was not officially covering the informal swim, and authorities urged people to avoid further festive dips; some reports suggest the younger missing man tried to help, which officials have not confirmed.