Girl, 6, dies three days after being pulled from sea off Shoreham; entire family lost
A six-year-old girl has died in hospital three days after being pulled from the sea off Shoreham, following the deaths of her parents and sister in the same incident.
The six-year-old girl rescued from the sea off Shoreham in West Sussex has died in hospital, three days after the incident that claimed the lives of her parents and older sister. She was identified as Saja El-Khawas. Her sister Sara El-Khawas, 14, and parents Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and Zeina Alayn, 37, died on Tuesday.
Saja had been in a critical condition since being brought ashore at Shoreham Fort. Emergency services, including police, paramedics, coastguard crews and a lifeboat, responded to reports of four people in difficulty in the water on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Sussex police, the family had travelled from their home in London to visit Shoreham and entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort at about 2pm. The investigation remains open, but after reviewing CCTV footage and witness accounts, officers currently believe the deaths were a tragic accident with no third-party involvement.
Her death and identity were confirmed in a legal notice issued by solicitors acting for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust, as well as the Palestinian Forum in Britain. The Palestinian embassy previously confirmed that the father was a British citizen of Palestinian descent.
Sussex police said the family’s next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from officers. Ch Supt James Collis described the update as heartbreaking and said the impact of the tragedy would be felt by the Shoreham community and emergency responders for a long time. He thanked the public for their sympathies and asked that the family be allowed to grieve in private.
