Funeral held for family who died in Shoreham incident

A funeral has been held for the family of four who died after getting into difficulty in water in Shoreham.

Hassan El-Khawas, 55, Zeina Alayn, 37, and their daughter Sara, 14, died after getting into difficulty in the water near Shoreham Fort, on 18 August, while six-year-old Saja died in hospital on Friday, 21 August.

Adnan Hmidan, president of the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB), said the family's bodies had been returned to Lebanon, where they were laid to rest in a ceremony at the Rashidieh refugee camp.

In a statement, Hmidan said the funeral "took place following prayers at the camp's mosque, after which the victims were laid to rest in the ceremony".

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Forum in Britain previously said the British-Palestinian family originated from the camp.

About £23,000 has been raised to help transfer the bodies, according to Mohamad Fadi of the PFB.

Fadi said family members had not been able to fly to the UK because of visa restrictions, adding: "The main reason for raising the funds was to transfer the bodies to Lebanon and allow the family to see them for the last time and to support the family as well."

Emergency services were called to the sea off Shoreham Fort at about 14:40 BST on Tuesday, 18 August to a report of four people in difficulty in the water.

In a statement, Sussex Police said the family had travelled down from their home in London to visit Shoreham that day.

"The investigation into the incident remains open, but following review of CCTV footage and initial witness accounts, the current hypothesis is that this was a tragic accident, with no third-party involvement," a police spokesperson said.

They added that a file would be prepared for the coroner ahead of an inquest.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, X, and on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Sussex on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.