Girl, six, dies three days after being pulled from sea off Sussex coast

Saja El-Khawas had been in critical condition after being pulled from sea in West Sussex A six-year-old girl has died in hospital three days after being pulled from the sea off Shoreham in West Sussex , in an incident that also killed her mother, father and sister. Saja El-Khawas died on Friday after the deaths of her sister Sara El-Khawas, 14, and her parents Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and Zeina Alayn, 37, on Tuesday. Saja had been in hospital in a critical condition since the incident. Police, paramedics, coastguard crews and a lifeboat attended the scene at Shoreham Fort early on Tuesday afternoon after a report of four people in difficulty in the water. The Palestinian embassy previously confirmed her father was a British citizen of Palestinian descent.

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Scoop News DeskSussex · Published Friday, August 21, 2026 at 10:50 PM UTCUpdated Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 7:21 PM UTC

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In a statement, Sussex police said: “It is understood the family travelled down from their home in London to visit Shoreham, and entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort around 2pm on Tuesday afternoon, before getting into trouble. “The investigation into the incident remains open, but following review of CCTV footage and initial witness accounts, the current hypothesis is that this was a tragic accident, with no third-party involvement.” Her identity and death were confirmed in a legal notice from solicitors acting on behalf of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust, as well as the Palestinian Forum in Britain.

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