There was a terrible sense of déjà vu when we arrived at Hornsea seafront on Tuesday evening.
Once again, the Gazette was on the scene of a major emergency unfolding on our coastline.
As the search operation developed, our priority was to provide clear, accurate public information as quickly as possible, while respecting the seriousness of the situation and the family at the centre of it.
In time, we will learn more about the boy whose life has so tragically been lost. For now, however, this is not the time for speculation.
His family and friends must be allowed the privacy and space to begin coming to terms with an unimaginable loss.
This is a tragedy that has shaken Hornsea and will resonate across the town for years to come. It carries such painful echoes of the loss suffered in Withernsea only eight months ago, when three people died after entering the sea.
Hornsea and Withernsea are two communities already taking significant steps towards sharing common aims and working more closely together.
Now, within the space of just a few months, they are also united in grief.
Our thoughts remain with the boy’s family, his friends and everyone affected, as well as the emergency services and volunteer crews who worked tirelessly through the night.
In a very, very small way, we can empathise with those who were out there for so many hours, as members of our team were also awake for much of the night, following developments and ensuring verified information reached the public. We know, of course, that this bears no comparison with the work of those searching in difficult conditions or with the suffering of the family involved.
The Gazette is produced by a very small team and covering a major breaking story of this scale inevitably has an impact on the rest of our work. Should some of our usual coverage be missing or shorter than normal this week, we hope readers will understand.
Further confirmed information will be published on the Gazette’s website and social media channels as it becomes available.
We will continue to report sensitively, accurately and without speculation.
