Three members of the same London family have died after getting into difficulty in the water off Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex.
Police identified the victims as 55-year-old Hassan El-Khawas, his 37-year-old partner Zeina Alayn and their 14-year-old daughter Sara El-Khawas.
A younger daughter from the family was also pulled from the water and taken to hospital, where she remains in a critical condition.
What happened at Shoreham-by-Sea?
The emergency unfolded on Tuesday, August 18, near Shoreham-by-Sea on the Sussex coast.
Police officers, paramedics, coastguard teams and lifeboat crews responded to the incident after four members of the family got into difficulty in the water.
Despite the efforts of emergency responders, Hassan El-Khawas, Zeina Alayn and Sara El-Khawas died.
The younger girl survived and was taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
The deaths have shocked the local community and prompted renewed attention to the dangers that currents and rapidly changing conditions can pose in open water.
Police believe the Shoreham deaths were a tragic accident
Sussex Police said investigators had reviewed CCTV footage and initial witness accounts as they worked to establish exactly what happened.
The current police assessment is that the deaths resulted from a tragic accident, with no evidence at this stage suggesting that another person was involved.
The circumstances surrounding the incident, however, remain under investigation.
Was Sara El-Khawas caught in a fishing net?
Reports about the family’s final moments have included claims that 14-year-old Sara became caught in a fishing net before other members of her family tried to help her.
The Palestinian Forum in Britain said information available to the organisation indicated that the family encountered strong currents and that Sara became entangled in a fishing net. Her father reportedly attempted to free her before other family members entered the water.
However, Sussex Police has not confirmed the fishing-net account.
For that reason, the claim remains an unconfirmed part of the developing investigation rather than an established explanation for the tragedy.
Who were Hassan El-Khawas, Zeina Alayn and Sara El-Khawas?
The family were British citizens of Palestinian origin and lived in London.
The Palestinian Embassy in London described Hassan El-Khawas as a British man of Palestinian descent.
The family’s roots have been linked to the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, while members of their extended family have lived in Britain for many years.
Two other children from the family were reportedly being cared for by their paternal uncle following the tragedy.
Sara El-Khawas remembered after Shoreham tragedy
The death of 14-year-old Sara has also caused deep sadness within her school community in London.
The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls paid tribute to the teenager following news of her death, as friends, teachers and members of the wider community mourned the family.
In Shoreham-by-Sea, flowers have also been left near the waterfront as residents come to terms with the loss of three members of one family.
Open-water safety concerns after Shoreham deaths
The Shoreham tragedy has renewed warnings about the risks of swimming in open water.
Warm weather does not necessarily mean that sea conditions are safe. Water temperature, tides, currents and sudden changes in depth can create dangerous conditions even when the weather appears calm.
The investigation into the Shoreham-by-Sea deaths is continuing as authorities work to establish the precise sequence of events that led to the loss of Hassan El-Khawas, Zeina Alayn and Sara El-Khawas.
