Vigil held for family who died in sea off Shoreham

The community in Shoreham, West Sussex, has paid its respects to a family who died after getting into difficulty in the sea on Tuesday.

Hassan El-Khawas, 55, Zeina Alayn, 37, and their 14-year-old daughter Sara, died despite the efforts of paramedics at the scene. It was confirmed on Friday that six-year-old Saja El-Khawas had died in hospital.

A vigil took place on Saturday morning at Kingston Beach, where the incident took place, alongside a one-minute silence in Shoreham town centre.

Reverend Pat Alden said: "When something happens, whether it's something we celebrate... or whether it's tragic circumstances like this, the community comes together."

Alden added: "Shoreham is the sort of place where the community comes together at times like this.

"We are a very close-knit community."

Tom Rutland, East Worthing and Shoreham MP, was at the vigil and said the "whole town is heartbroken, particularly by the development that Saja has lost her life sadly too".

He added: "The way that everybody has come together and marked today with this minute's silence, and there were people who met with paddleboards and kayaks over at Kingston beach as well this morning, it's been a really lovely way to pay tribute to the very sad loss of these lives."

Wesley Horfscroft attended on behalf of paddlers in the Kingston beach community and said he had originally planned to go out alone and "put some flowers on the water" to honour the family, before he decided to invite others.

"It's kind of grown and a lot of people wanted to turn up to do the same," he said.

He said Saja's death had added an "another layer" to the grief felt in the town.

According to Sussex Police, the family had travelled down from their home in London on Tuesday to visit Shoreham, which is about a 6.3 mile (10.1km) from Brighton.

The force said the family had entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort at about 14:00 BST before getting into trouble.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said the investigation remained open, adding that the "current hypothesis is that this was a tragic accident, with no third-party involvement".

Addressing Saja's death on Friday evening, Ch Supt James Collis said: "This heartbreaking update is one we all feared in the aftermath of Tuesday's tragic events.

"The impact of this tragedy has been felt across the country and I know the Shoreham community, emergency responders and all involved will continue to be affected for a long time to come."

The family lived in London and were British citizens of Palestinian origin, with roots in the Rashidieh refugee camp in Lebanon.

Their extended family had lived in the UK for many years, the Palestinian Forum said.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the incident a "terrible family tragedy".

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