Girl, whose family members lost their lives after getting into difficulty in water, has also died

A girl, whose three family members lost their lives after getting into difficulty in waters off the Sussex coast, has also died.

Saja El-Khawas, six, had been in critical condition after she was pulled from the sea at Shoreham on Tuesday and died in hospital on Friday.

Sara El-Khawas, 14, died at the scene alongside her parents, Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and Zeina Alayn, 37, during a trip to West Sussex.

The Palestinian embassy confirmed Mr El-Khawas was a Palestinian refugee from the Rashidieh Camp in Lebanon.

It is believed the family travelled from their home in west London to visit Shoreham and entered the water from the beach at around 2pm to go for a swim.

Emergency services were called to the sea off Shoreham Fort at around 2.40pm to a report of four people in difficulty in the water.

Several ambulances, two air ambulances, an HM Coastguard helicopter, an RNLI lifeboat, and rescue teams were all part of a major response at the scene, where the four were recovered from the water.

On Wednesday, Sussex Police said their investigation remains open, but after a review of CCTV footage and initial witness accounts, it is currently thought the deaths were a tragic accident, with no third-party involvement.

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Chief Superintendent James Collis said: "The events of Tuesday afternoon are a heartbreaking tragedy which has devastated a family and their friends and had a profound impact on the Shoreham community."

Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls posted a tribute to Year 8 student Sara following the "tragic incident".

The school, in the London borough of Ealing, said: "Sara was a sweet girl, well-liked by staff and students and she will be greatly missed.

"Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with her family, friends, and all those affected.

"This news will be deeply upsetting for many students, families and staff."

The Palestinian embassy, in a statement on Facebook, said it was "closely monitoring the incident".

Adnan Hmidan, chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, paid tribute to the family, although his spelling of their name differed from that used by Sussex Police.

He said: "The Palestinian, Arab and wider community in Britain, along with the many friends and supporters of our community, have been deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic incident involving the Khawwas family during a day trip off the coast of Sussex."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned of the dangers of open water swimming after the incident, which he described as "a terrible family tragedy".

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