A 6-year-old girl who was pulled from the sea near Shoreham has died in Britain
Six-year-old Saja El-Hawas, who was pulled from the sea on Tuesday near Shoreham in West Sussex in southern England, died in the hospital. Her parents and 14-year-old sister also died in the incident, according to The Guardian.
The girl had been in critical condition since the day of the incident and died on Friday, three days after she was pulled from the water. Her sister, Sarah El-Hawas, 14, her father, Hassan El-Hawas, 55, and her mother, Zayna Alayne, 37, died on Tuesday.
Police, paramedics, the Coast Guard, and a rescue boat arrived at the Shoreham Fort area on Tuesday after receiving a report of four people in distress in the water. According to Sussex Police, the family had traveled to Shoreham from their home in London and entered the water from the beach near the fort at approximately 2:00 p.m.
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The investigation into the incident is ongoing. After reviewing surveillance footage and obtaining initial witness statements, the police’s current hypothesis is that this was a tragic accident involving no third parties.
The girl’s identity and her death were confirmed in a legal statement by attorneys acting on behalf of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, as well as the Palestinian Forum in Britain. Earlier, the Palestinian Embassy reported that the girl’s father was a Palestinian refugee from the Rashidieh camp in Lebanon.
Sussex Police Chief Superintendent James Collis expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased and asked the public to allow her loved ones to grieve in private. Sarah’s school in London stated that the girl was loved by the school’s staff and students.
