One of the two people who went missing after a Christmas Day sea swim in Devon has been pictured. Emergency services inquiries are ongoing into what has been described as a "truly tragic incident".

Emergency crews were called to Budleigh Salterton at around 10.25am on Christmas Day following reports of people in difficulty in the water. While a number of swimmers were safely brought ashore and treated by paramedics or taken to hospital as a precaution, two men, aged in their 40s and 60s, could not be located.

The family of one of the missing men, Matthew Upham, later confirmed their heartbreak in a statement shared on his Instagram account.

"Our family is heartbroken by the loss of our beloved family member Matthew Upham, who was reported missing on Christmas morning," the statement said.

"Matthew is deeply loved and will be forever missed."

They also paid tribute to the emergency services involved in the search.

"We would like to express our sincere and heartfelt thanks to the emergency services who responded, particularly the RNLI and coastguard, for their dedication, professionalism, and tireless efforts during this extremely difficult time," the family said.

"As we grieve and support one another, we kindly ask that our family's privacy is respected."

Mr Upham, who lived in Budleigh Salterton, ran a local antiques business, Matthew Upham Antiques, and was well known in the community.

On Boxing Day, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that both men remained missing. A spokesperson said police inquiries were ongoing and officers continued to maintain a presence at the scene.

Local resident Julia Robb, who had been watching swimmers at the beach earlier that morning, said conditions had been challenging.

"It was very cold and windy," she said. "The waves were big, breaking over people, I would have thought at least six feet."

She said it was only after hearing helicopters later in the day that she realised something had gone wrong.

"It was a sad thing to happen on what had been such a positive morning," she said. "I think it will be shocking for the whole community. We're a small town and people are very friendly."

HM Coastguard confirmed it responded to reports of people in difficulty in the water, with rescue teams from Exmouth and Beer attending, alongside RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth and Torbay.

Coastguard helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were also deployed, along with police and ambulance crews. RNLI lifeboat teams recovered one person from the sea.

A spokesperson said all lifeboat crews were stood down at around 5pm.

They said: "Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the incident and the family and friends of the two people who are missing."

Several organised Christmas and Boxing Day swims across Devon and Cornwall were cancelled this year due to a yellow weather warning for wind covering parts of the South West and Wales.

Although no warning was in place on Boxing Day, Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar urged caution.

She said: "We urge anyone with plans to go swimming in the sea not to.

"Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and with all those affected by this tragic incident."