Three members of a Palestinian British family have drowned after entering the sea off England’s Sussex coast, the Palestinian embassy in London says. The embassy announced their deaths on Wednesday, a day after the family went for a swim near Shoreham Fort in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. The father, Hossam al-Khawas, was a Palestinian refugee from the Rashidieh Camp in southern Lebanon near Tyre, the Press Association news agency reported.
Police, paramedics, coastguard crews and a lifeboat were deployed at the scene where four people were pulled from the water. Al-Khawas, a woman and a teenage girl were pronounced dead. A younger girl was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday warned of the dangers of open water swimming after the incident, which he described as “a terrible family tragedy”, the BBC reported. He said he sends his “best wishes and love” to the family and friends of those who died as well as the girl who remains in critical condition. Drownings have surged across Europe as people seek relief from the heatwave on the continent with incidents reported in France, Germany and the UK.
Experts warned that open-water swimming can carry hidden risks, including cold water shock, strong currents and sudden changes in depth.
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