Body recovered after rescue operation off Arbroath coast

A large scale operation to rescue a woman spotted in the sea off the coast of Arbroath has ended in tragedy.

Emergency services were called to the shoreline near Victoria Park shortly before 9pm after a report of someone in the water.

A Bond Aviation rescue helicopter from Aberdeen, both lifeboats from the RNLI station in Arbroath and a crew from Montrose were all involved at one stage as the drama unfolded, while police cordoned off a large section of the coastal road in the town as efforts to get the woman to safety continued.

However, the woman whose identity has not yet been revealed is thought to have been pronounced dead at the scene.

It is understood witnesses told police they saw the woman jumping into the water, although that has not yet been confirmed by Police Scotland.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said that two ambulances were initially called to the shoreline at Arbroath, but only one crew was used.