Five men pulled dead from the sea yesterday were on a day trip from London when tragedy struck, it has emerged.

Police say the group, who drowned off Camber Sands, are believed to be aged in their late teens and early 20s, and from the Greater London area.

They have been named locally as Nitharsan Ravi, Ken Nathan, Kobi Nathan and Kuru Anna. The fifth victim has not yet been named.

It is understood formal identification has not yet taken place.

Paying tribute to Mr Ravi on Facebook, Jackson Rosco posted: "Can't believe to hear the news that you were one of the boys at #Cambersands. You were truly a good person with a good heart. You are going to be missed on this earth. #Condolences and#prayers to the family at this time. :( #CamberSands #SadTimes#NotExpected"

Chief Superintendent Di Roskilly said earlier: "We believe we now know who the men are and that they came to the beach together for the day.

"We believe they are all in their late teens and early 20s and come from the Greater London area.

"These men were not fully clothed when they were pulled from the sea but wearing clothes appropriate for being at the beach for the day.

"We have no further reports of anyone else missing from Camber and there are no on-going searches related to this incident.

VIDEO: The aftermath of the beach tragedy

"This has been an incredibly tragic incident and we are offering their next of kin support at this difficult time and our thoughts are with them."

Three of the men died on the packed beach yesterday afternoon, despite efforts from air ambulance and coastguard teams.

Emergency services were called to the beach at 2.10pm, and they were at the scene, another person was seen in difficulty at 2.20pm.

A third person was recovered 15 minutes later, but could not be saved.

Two more bodies were pulled from the water between 8.15pm and 8.45pm last night.

Rescue teams initially scoured the area for a sixth person, but they have now been stood down as no one else is thought to be missing.

Today's edition of The Sun said all the men were fully clothed and speculated they may have been migrants, but police said this is not the case. They have also dismissed reports that the deaths were linked to jellyfish.

People living in the area said helicopters were still circling the area last night.

The Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex Police, Bernie O'Reilly praised the efforts of police officers involved in the rescue operation and expressed sympathy to the victims' families and friends.

In a tweet posted last night, he described what happened as a "tragic day" and said everyone's thoughts were with the family and friends of the victims.

He added that officers from his force had worked "tirelessly and compassionately" at the scene.

Speaking earlier, Ch Supt Di Roskilly, of Sussex Police, said: "We are working with Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal National Lifeboat Institute, South East Coast Ambulance and Rother District Council to clear the beach and encourage people to come out of the sea while we are investigating this incident.

"We are also asking people to stay away from Camber for the evening to assist emergency services in managing this incident.

"This has been an incredibly tragic situation and very traumatic for those who were there on the beach at the time.

"At this stage we do not know who the men are and are doing all we can to establish their identities."

An eyewitness has described the "horrible" scene saying she could not believe what she was seeing.

VIDEO: Swimmers pulled from sea at Camber Sands. Credit: @PeterOUwaibi

The beach was cleared by police officers to find the belongings of the casualties so they could be identified.

Swimmers were asked by police to stay out of the sea.

A woman called Sarah, who was visiting the beach with her seven-year-old son, said: "I was on the beach at Camber with my boy and family I was just approaching the water when suddenly I saw a male being carried out the water.

"My son is only seven and is asking lots of questions. It's not a nice thing to see I must say and something I'm going to find hard to get out my head and also a memory that my son remembers in his holidays."

The air ambulance and the search and rescue coastguard helicopters landed shortly before 2.30pm.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said they received a report at 2.15pm that "three people required urgent medical attention".

They added: "There is also a Senior Coastal Operations Officer on scene. An air ambulance has also been sent to the location.

"This incident is ongoing and we have no further information at this stage."

Coastguard helicopters from Lydd and Lee-on-Solent in Hampshire were also scrambled.

They added: "There is also a Senior Coastal Operations Officer on scene. An air ambulance has also been sent to the location.

Coastguard rescue teams from Dungeness and Rye Bay joined the RNLI's crew from Rye Harbour.

Eyewitness Tracey Mills, from Maidstone, told KentOnline: "We're a long way from where the emergency services are so we can't really see what's happening.

"There are two helicopters circling above the beach, one landed and it looked like some people got out."

She added someone was being treated by paramedics and that the beach was packed with families and groups of friends.

It comes exactly a month after Brazilian tourist Gustavo Silva Da Cruz was found dead after being swept out on the same stretch of beach.

Two others were rushed to hospital after trying to rescue the 19-year-old who was pronounced dead.

Were you on the beach or do you know someone who is? Tell us what you can see. Email in kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk