A MOTHER and her 11-year-old son were dead last night and hopes were fading for her 13-year-old daughter after they were all swept out to sea.

The trio were part of a family group of five who were walking along the promenade at North Bay, Scarborough, shortly after 4pm yesterday, when it is believed the boy got into difficulty in the water.

A spokesman for the Humber Coastguard said the mother, her partner and her teenage daughter went in to try to save the 11-year-old, watched by their eight-year-old son.

The 33-year-old mother, the 11-year-old and the 13-year-old were dragged out to sea.

Powerful waves forced the mother's partner to abandon his efforts to save the family. He was able to get back to shore.

An RAF Sea King helicopter winched the mother and son out of the water, about 50 yards from the Oasis cafe slipway.

Medics fought to save the pair, who are not thought to have been from the area, as they were taken by ambulance to Scarborough District Hospital.

Shortly before 8pm, the hospital confirmed they had died.

Last night, the RAF, lifeboat crews and the Coastguard service were still searching for the missing teenage girl.

As darkness fell and with a 12ft swell in the sea, a second helicopter joined the search.

Emergency crews were alerted when several people on the beach and those in Royal Albert Drive saw the incident and called for help on their mobile phones.

RAF spokesman Michael Mulford said the group had found itself in a "very, very serious" situation.

He said that although the search was continuing for the teenager, hopes were fading for her survival.

Mr Mulford said people in such conditions rarely survived more than an hour in the water.

He said: "You never say never, but we have to be brutally realistic."

The spokesman for Humber Coastguard said: "We received several 999 calls from people on the seafront, who saw a number of people in the water.

"A rescue operation began involving a rescue helicopter, lifeboat and Coastguard vessel.

"Two people were removed from the water and a search continues for a third.

"Those involved were a mother and two children, aged 11 and 13."

Scarborough District Hospital spokeswoman Gilly Collinson said: "Sadly, both the mother and son have now been confirmed dead.

"Attempts had been made to resuscitate both while in the ambulances, and these attempts continued after their arrival in A&E (accident and emergency department), where we had a full emergency team on stand-by.

"Unfortunately, attempts