Three members of same family who died in Sussex beach tragedy are named
A family who died in a tragic incident after entering the sea in Sussex have been pictured for the first time.
Emergency services confirmed members of the same family, a man, woman and teenage girl all died after entering the water near Shoreham Fort on Tuesday afternoon (18 August).
The dad, 55, has since been named as a Palestinian refugee called Hossam Al-Khawas by the Palestinian embassy. His wife was identified as Zeina Alyan, aged 37, and their eldest daughter as Sara, who was 14.
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Mr Al-Khawas is thought to have gone into the water to swim with three other family members when disaster struck.
Police, paramedics, coastguard crews and a lifeboat all attended the scene where four people were pulled from the water.
Witnesses later spoke out about the major emergency response. One man saying that one of the local fishermen claimed that issues arose after one of the children became caught in a net.
"One of the local fishermen said it was two adults, two kids," witness Joe Chrisp told The Sun.
The landscaper went on to add that he'd witnessed the aftermath of the incident while on his way home from work, saying: "It happened when I was on my way back from work. There were loads of police, and I got turned around. It’s so tragic."
Meanwhile, another resident described the chaotic scenes at the beach, telling the outlet the nearby coastal road was closed due to emergency services arriving in the area.
"As I neared home, a yellow air ambulance also landed. There were a lot of ambulances, coastguard and police vehicles converging on the area, and the coast road was closed," resident Pete Book said.
Mr Al-Khawas, his wife and a teenage girl were pronounced dead. Meanwhile, a young girl was taken to hospital in a critical condition, police have said.
"Tragically, despite the best efforts of paramedics, three people – a man, a woman, and a teenage girl – were sadly confirmed deceased," Chief Superintendent James Collis said of the incident.
"A younger girl has been taken to hospital and is in critical condition. We can confirm all four people were from the same family, and their next of kin have been informed.
“Specialist officers are supporting them at this incredibly difficult time, and our thoughts are with their family and friends.
“I know this incident will have a profound effect on the community, and enquiries are ongoing alongside our partners to understand the full details.
“At this point we believe all four entered the water from the land to swim and sadly got into difficulty."
The Palestinian embassy said it was also in touch with the wider family. In a statement on Facebook, the embassy said it was 'closely monitoring the incident'.
“As the embassy extends its deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims’ family, their loved ones, and members of the Palestinian community in the United Kingdom in this painful affliction, it wishes the injured girl a speedy recovery,” the post said.
The Palestinian Forum of Britain also paid tribute in a statement online, which read: "The (PFB) extends its deepest condolences to the family of Hossam Al-Khawas, his wife and daughter, and to the Palestinian community in Britain, especially the people of Rashidieh Camp, Lebanon.
"May Allah have mercy on them and grant strength and patience to their loved ones. We also pray for the swift recovery of their surviving daughter."
The father, Mr Al-Khawas, was from the Rashidieh Camp, situated on the Mediterranean coast in southern Lebanon and is one of the most populous Palestinian refugee camps in the country.
Earlier on Wednesday, Andy Burnham warned of the dangers of open water swimming after the incident, which he described as 'a terrible family tragedy'.
Mr Burnham said: “The thing I can say today – and there is still, I think, a further heatwave to come in this summer period – it is just to remind people about the dangers of open water swimming.
“The coldness, even when it feels hot outside, it can shock people and that can cause the difficulties. So people just need to remember that at all times.
“I do need to praise the emergency services who I know were on scene very quickly yesterday. They’ve had a busy summer but they were there and we thank them.”
Topics: UK News
James Holt