Family who died in sea were 'familiar with water'

A family who died in the sea off Shoreham were familiar with the water and the father was considered a strong swimmer, a community spokesman has said.

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. Saja, six, died in hospital on Friday.

Mohamad Fadi, from the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB), said the family originated from Rashidieh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, which is on the Mediterranean coast.

He said they would have been familiar with the sea and able to "assess their situation". Sussex Police has said the deaths are being treated as a tragic accident.

A huge emergency response took place after the family - British citizens of Palestinian origin, according to the PFB - were reported to be in difficulty in the water.

The Shoreham community and the UK's Palestinian community were left in shock.

Fadi said the family had gone to the beach to enjoy a summer's day, but there had been high winds and currents at the time.

"They wouldn't have known that the water was dangerous," he said.

"What I know is that they are familiar with water and they are familiar with the sea, because the Rashidieh camp is at the sea. It's basically at the beach.

"It's a known fact that they would be familiar with the water, basically, especially the father, Hassan. He would be a good swimmer."

Fadi said water safety was "a complicated matter", adding: "Whether there are controls for them or not, risks will still be there and incidents might still happen, regardless of how familiar the deceased were with the water."

Rashidieh is one of Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camps.

The older part was built by the French government in 1936 for Armenian refugees, while the newer part was built in 1963 for Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Fadi said the Palestinian community had come together to support the family and help repatriate the bodies. About £23,000 has been raised to help transfer the bodies.

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."

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