Three Members of a London-Based Palestinian Family Killed in Shoreham-by-Sea Swimming Tragedy
Traveloasisspot.com – Sussex Police have identified the three people who lost their lives after entering the sea near Shoreham-by-Sea on Tuesday afternoon and failing to return. The victims were a 55-year-old Palestinian refugee, his 37-year-old partner, and their 14-year-old daughter, all of whom had travelled from London for what was meant to be a day trip along the West Sussex coast.
Hassan El-Khawas, Zeina Alayn, and Sara El-Khawas are believed to have waded into the water to swim alongside a younger female relative in the vicinity of Shoreham Fort. Four individuals were subsequently recovered from the sea by a combined response involving police, paramedics, coastguard units, and a lifeboat. Three were confirmed dead at the scene on Tuesday; the fourth, a teenage girl, remains in hospital in critical condition.
Investigation Points to Accident
Officers have stated that the investigation remains formally open. Following a review of available CCTV footage and initial witness statements, however, the current working assessment is that the deaths resulted from a tragic accident with no third-party involvement. Sources close to the inquiry have additionally indicated there is no evidence to suggest a fishing net played any role in the incident.
Chief Superintendent James Collis addressed the community directly:
“The events of Tuesday afternoon are a heartbreaking tragedy which has devastated a family.”
The family is understood to have entered the water from the southern face of Shoreham Fort, a 19th-century coastal defence structure situated on the western side of the harbour arm where the River Adur discharges into the sea. Video captured by bystanders showed multiple emergency vehicles and personnel searching a stretch of open water adjacent to that harbour mouth.
Background on the Family and Their Origins
The Palestinian embassy in London confirmed that Mr El-Khawas had been a refugee from the Rashidieh Camp in southern Lebanon, though it offered no further detail about the other family members. The embassy added that it was “closely monitoring the incident” and extended its “deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims’ family, their loved ones, and members of the Palestinian community in the United Kingdom in this painful affliction,” while wishing the injured girl “a speedy recovery.”
Rashidieh Camp sits on the Mediterranean coastline in Lebanon’s south and ranks among the country’s most densely populated Palestinian refugee settlements. Its history spans two distinct phases: the older section was constructed by the French government in 1936 to house Armenian refugees who had fled to Lebanon, while the newer section was erected in 1963 by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) specifically for Palestinian displaced persons.
Community Response in Britain
Adnan Hmidan, chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, issued a statement paying tribute to the family. (His rendering of the family surname differed slightly from the spelling used by Sussex Police.)
“The Palestinian, Arab and wider community in Britain, along with the many friends and supporters of our community, have been deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic incident involving the Khawwas family during a day trip off the coast of Sussex yesterday.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family, particularly the children, who are facing an unimaginable loss. We ask everyone to respect their privacy and dignity at this painful time.”
“We especially appeal to members of the media not to approach or disturb the family or the children while they are grieving and trying to come to terms with this devastating tragedy.”
“The relevant authorities are carrying out the necessary procedures and investigations, and we ask that the family be given the space and time they need while those processes take place.”
“Our community stands united with the Khawwas family. We will continue to support them in every way we can and to ensure that they know they are not alone.”
Prime Minister Warns of Open-Water Hazards
Prime Minister Andy Burnham used the incident to issue a pointed public-safety warning about swimming in open coastal waters, describing the Shoreham deaths as “a terrible family tragedy.”
“The thing I can say today – and there is still, I think, a further heatwave to come in this summer period – it is just to remind people about the dangers of open water swimming.”
“The coldness, even when it feels hot outside, it can shock people and that can cause the difficulties. So people just need to remember that at all times.”
“I do need to praise the emergency services who I know were on scene very quickly yesterday. They’ve had a busy summer but they were there and we thank them.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks land against a backdrop of rising coastal temperatures across southern England, where warm air temperatures can mask the significantly lower water temperature and create conditions in which swimmers experience cold-shock, impaired muscle function, and difficulty surfacing. Shoreham-by-Sea, a small harbour town in West Sussex, is not a designated swimming area, and the waters around its harbour arm and the Adur estuary are subject to tidal currents, sandbanks, and commercial vessel traffic — factors that complicate rescue operations and increase the risk for casual swimmers.
The Shoreham Fort itself dates to the Victorian era and was built as part of a chain of coastal defences designed to protect the Thames estuary approach. Its southern face, where the family is believed to have entered the water, overlooks a stretch of open sea rather than the sheltered harbour basin, meaning swimmers there face unbroken water with no immediate shallow gradient.
Sussex Police have not yet announced when the formal investigation will conclude. The teenage girl’s condition, as of the latest available update, remains critical, and authorities have asked the public to allow the family space during this period.
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