"Blame The Brand": Luxury SUV Worth Nearly R3 Million Swallowed by Ocean During Rescue Attempt

• A Range Rover worth about R2.9 million became trapped in beach sand while trying to tow a friend's stranded van before being swallowed by the rising tide
• Attempts to free the vehicles failed despite using a plastic spade, and both were eventually submerged by seawater as the tide came in
• Recovery crews waited for low tide before using heavy machinery to retrieve the vehicles, with the owners expected to pay for the rescue operation

What started as an attempt to help a stranded friend quickly turned into a costly disaster after a luxury Range Rover worth about R2.9 million was swallowed by the sea while trying to tow a van stuck on a beach. The incident, shared by @thesun on 25 June 2026, happened on Scarborough Beach in North Yorkshire, England, where both vehicles became trapped in soft sand before the rising tide engulfed them.

Recovery crews later had to wait for low tide before retrieving the submerged vehicles using heavy machinery. According to reports, the incident began when a Ford Transit van became stuck after reversing towards the shoreline to tow jet skis out of the water. After several unsuccessful attempts to free the van, the owner of a high-performance Range Rover drove onto the beach to help. Despite being equipped with four-wheel drive, a sand driving mode and a powerful engine, the luxury SUV also became bogged down in the sand.

Read also

"An epic throwback": The incredible KZN shipwreck that turned a beach into a tourist hotspot

Rising tide makes matters worse

With the tide rapidly coming in, those at the scene desperately tried to free both vehicles. They reportedly attempted to dig the wheels out using a plastic spade, but their efforts proved unsuccessful. Local resident Sammy Hellewell, who witnessed the incident while heading to a nearby restaurant, said some beachgoers offered advice, including suggesting the jet skis be removed first to reduce the load.

However, she claimed the advice was ignored. Although the jet skis were eventually removed from the beach, the van and the Range Rover remained stuck as the tide continued to rise. When Hellewell returned later that evening, both vehicles had been almost completely submerged. She said only the aerial of the van could still be seen above the water.

Footage from the scene shared by the page @thesun showed waves crashing over the expensive SUV as it slowly disappeared beneath the sea. Recovery teams were unable to retrieve the vehicles immediately because of the dangerous conditions. Instead, they waited until the tide receded before using diggers and specialist equipment to recover both vehicles from the beach.

Read also

Drone footage shows great white shark following paddleboarders off California coast

Watch the TikTok video below:

Internet mock luxury SUVs after Land Rovers sink in the ocean

People are reacting with heavy mockery and skepticism to a video of Land Rovers sinking in the ocean, using the blunder to roast the brand's off-road capabilities while drawing highly unfavorable comparisons to competing vehicles.

HCôngx commented:

“They sell already. 😂”

appleuser22374433 commented:

“Only the Toyota Land Cruiser is built for this.”

Bearded commented:

“Range Rover is not an off-road vehicle. It is simply an overpriced vehicle that makes a lot of noise while driving through residential areas to highlight that you have more money than other people.”

nicomedian commented:

“Mothers' milk is very important at first year of the infants brain development!!”

Tim 🇧🇪🇪🇸 commented:

“A Range Rover is not an Audi quattro…”

shadow commented:

“120K be real, it's only worth 30-40k max if it's an SVR.”

Oucherspach commented:

“Range Rovers are garbage.”

Just Facts asked:

“How do you explain this to the insurance company?”

Read also

Man fleeing police gets attacked by alligator after jumping into swamp

Gotime joked:

“Surprised it didn't break down before it got there.”

SJ commented:

“What were you thinking?? It’s a Range Rover, not a Land Rover.”

3 Other Briefly News stories related to cars

• South African superstar Makhadzi was swarmed by supporters during a visit to a local market in Kinshasa, DRC.
• An Afrikaner woman who relocated to the US with her family under the refugee program has celebrated their very first American car.
• A Johannesburg woman posted a TikTok video of her experience after purchasing a brand new car and being over the moon.

Source: Briefly News