Shoreham drowning tragedy claims life of six-year-old girl

A six-year-old Palestinian-British girl, Saja El-Khawas, has died in hospital following a drowning tragedy at Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. Her death follows the loss of three family members who died at the scene on Tuesday, August 18.

The victims include Saja’s father, Hassan El-Khawas, 55; her mother, Zeina Alayn, 37; and her 14-year-old sister, Sara El-Khawas. The family, who resided in London, had traveled to the coast to visit the beach during a period of extreme heat in the United Kingdom.

Sussex Police stated that an investigation remains open, but initial reviews of CCTV footage and witness accounts suggest the incident was a “tragic accident, with no third-party involvement”. The Palestinian embassy noted that Hassan El-Khawas was a refugee originally from the Rashidieh refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

The tragedy has prompted widespread grief within the British-Palestinian community and the local Shoreham area. Emergency services, including the RNLI, HM Coastguard, and multiple ambulance crews, responded to the initial incident near Shoreham Fort.