PURE HEARTBREAK: Devastating Identity Of Three Women Found At Sea Sends Shockwaves Across The UK! 😭🥀

Police believe they have now identified the three women whose bodies were recovered from the ocean near the coastal city of Brighton, England.

Emergency services were called to the popular tourist destination at 5:45 a.m. local time on Wednesday, May 13, following reports of concern for a person in the water, per a Sussex Police press release.

The bodies of three women were then recovered from the waters of the English Channel, about 54 miles south of London.

The police now believe they have identified all three women and their next of kin have been informed. The force said formal identification procedures are now underway.

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“It would not be appropriate to publicly name the women before these procedures are completed,” the release continued. “Their loved ones are being supported by specialist officers following their tragic loss.”

The investigation into how the three women came to be in the water is ongoing; officers currently state there is no evidence to suggest criminality or third-party involvement.

“This is an utterly heartbreaking tragedy, and my thoughts are with the loved ones of these three young women after their devastating loss,” Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said in the statement.

He added: “They will remain at the forefront of our minds as we search for the answers their families, and the wider public, desperately seek.”

Hays described it as a “sensitive investigation that includes a number of hypotheses.” He said it would not be appropriate to speculate about what happened while the authorities continue to gather evidence.

“I would once again ask for the public’s patience while we establish the full facts, which will be shared publicly as soon as we are able,” he said.

The beach was closed while Sussex Police investigated the scene. The force later said it had reopened in a release published on Wednesday, May 13, at 6:32 p.m., after officers departed.

The U.K. Coastguard told PEOPLE in a statement on Wednesday that it sent a helicopter and deployed rescue teams alongside crews from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which also sent three lifeboats.

Sussex Police and the South East Coast Ambulance Service also attended the scene.

The RNLI also told PEOPLE in a statement on Wednesday: “Brighton Lifeboat and Shoreham All-weather Lifeboat launched this morning around 6 a.m. Our lifeboats have now been stood down and we’ll be directing any further enquiries to Sussex Police.”