A six-year-old girl has died in hospital three days after being pulled from the sea off Shoreham in West Sussex, in an incident that also killed her mother, father and sister. Saja El-Khawas died on Friday after the deaths of her sister Sara El-Khawas, 14, and her parents Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and Zeina Alayn, 37, on Tuesday. Saja had been in hospital in a critical condition since the incident.
Police, paramedics, coastguard crews and a lifeboat attended the scene at Shoreham Fort early on Tuesday afternoon after a report of four people in difficulty in the water. In a statement, Sussex police said: “It is understood the family travelled down from their home in London to visit Shoreham, and entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort around 2pm on Tuesday afternoon, before getting into trouble. The Palestinian embassy previously confirmed her father was a British citizen of Palestinian descent.
Sussex police said the family’s next of kin “are aware and continue to receive the full support of our officers during this unimaginably difficult time”. Ch Supt James Collis said: “This heartbreaking update is one we all feared in the aftermath of Tuesday’s tragic events. On behalf of everyone at Sussex police, I extend our thoughts and heartfelt condolences.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
