Five surfers die in the Netherlands after huge layer of sea foam hampers rescue

Five surfers who knew the sea "like the back of their hand" have died after a huge layer of foam in the water hampered efforts to rescue them. The group ran into difficulties at the northern harbor head of the Scheveningen district of The Hague in the Netherlands on Monday evening.
Despite a large-scale rescue operation, only one member of the group could be saved, according to KNRM, the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Organization.
A statement issued online by the rescue service said its efforts were "complicated by the man-sized foam layer at sea and on the beach," while "strong winds and high waves also made it very difficult to provide relief from the harbor pier."

Police, firefighters, the coastguard, units from KNRM and other emergency workers were all involved in the rescue operation, in which a helicopter was used to try to blow away the foam and improve visibility.
Two of the bodies were recovered on Monday and another two the following morning, according to the KNRM post. A fifth body has yet to be recovered. The victims' identities have not yet been released.
Investigators are now looking into what caused the sea foam and its possible role in the tragedy.
Johan Remkes, mayor of The Hague, described the events as a "terrible tragedy" involving "young, physically fit, sporty people, who know the sea like the back of their hand."