A teenage girl and her mother died after reportedly getting into difficulty in the water at West Mersea beach in Essex, with a family friend saying they were trying to save a cousin.
The 15-year-old girl and her mother, named locally as Shelina Rahman, a British-Bangladeshi teacher in her 40s, and her daughter Sameeha Rahman, were enjoying a day out at the beach. Family friend Mishba Uddin said they "were not very good swimmers."
Incident Details
Essex Police were alerted by the ambulance service at 5:35pm on Wednesday after reports of several people in difficulty near Seaview Avenue. A teenage girl and a woman in her 40s died, while a third person is in a serious condition and two others are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Mujibur Rahman, Shelina's father and Sameeha's grandfather, disclosed that a seven-year-old relative is on life support in a London hospital. Family friend Mr Uddin said the child in critical condition was a seven-year-old girl, the cousin of the deceased child. He heard that "the little one got into trouble then the other one tried to save" her.
Community Response
Beach hut owner Beverly Smit said she heard the emergency response and saw helicopters. She spoke to a day tripper who swam out three times to help, noting that two children he brought back were not in good condition. "It's not an easy swim when the tide's coming in," she said.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told ITV Anglia he was "so sad to hear the news" and said the incident underscored the dangers of open water swimming. He pledged to support local authorities.
A woman at the scene said the incident occurred at high tide, adding: "The tide was a lot further in… you have to be careful."
Carl Powling, a councillor for Colchester Council, said his daughter was among three teenage waitresses from a local cafe who assisted. They directed police and helped with first aid, keeping people from filming. "Very level-headed, absolutely amazing for that age group," he said.
Emergency Response
The East of England Ambulance Service deployed a Hazardous Area Response Team, critical care paramedics, and two air ambulances. One patient was airlifted and three were taken by road to hospital.
Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher urged anyone who was at the beach at the time and has not spoken to police to get in touch. The West Mersea Coastguard Rescue Team said: "Our thoughts are with the family involved."
