The teenage girl and woman who died in the waters off an Essex beach were trying to help a seven-year-old boy who had got into difficulty, police believe.
Family members identified the pair as Shelina Rahman, a 42-year-old British-Bangladeshi teacher who is married to a Bangladeshi politician, and her 15-year-old daughter, Sameeha. A seven-year-old boy, Musa Ahmed, is on life support in a hospital in London.
Shelina Rahman’s husband is Mansur Rahman, the leader of Jubo Dal UK, the overseas youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist party in Britain. Her father is Mujibur Rahman, the former vice-president of the party in Britain.
The family are understood to have been on a summer holiday trip in West Mersea, where three adults and three children got into difficulty after a heavy incoming tide caused the sand beneath their feet to give way, sweeping them into the water. Shelina and Sameeha are thought to have attempted to rescue Musa, the youngest child.
Shahin Ahmed, the father of Musa, said in a statement: “Our family has been devastated by the loss of our beloved relatives, Shelina and Sameeha Rahman, while my son Musa remains in critical condition.”
He thanked local residents and visitors for showing “exceptional courage, kindness and selflessness as they rushed to assist my family members who were struggling in the water”.
He added: “I strongly agree with the calls from local residents for a review of safety measures at West Mersea beach, including the provision of additional life-saving equipment and clear warning signage. While no action now can undo the pain we are suffering, we hope lessons can be learned to help prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.”
He noted that misinformation on social media and in the press about what happened had caused his family “additional distress”.
Essex police were called by the ambulance service at 5.35pm on Wednesday after reports of the incident near Seaview Avenue in West Mersea.
DCI Al Pitcher confirmed that a mother and daughter had died, saying: “My thoughts, and those of my team, are with the friends and family of the woman and girl who died yesterday. We can now confirm they were a mother and daughter from London and we are supporting their family in what is an unimaginable time.
“Since yesterday we have been working to establish the circumstances which led up to this incident. At this stage we believe they were trying to help a seven-year-old boy who had got into difficulties.
“The boy was taken to hospital, where he remains in a critical condition, but the woman and teenage girl, sadly, died. All the people involved in this incident are related to each other.
“As part of our investigation we are working through speaking to dozens of witnesses and taking their accounts, and we are building a picture of what happened.”
Mishba Uddin, a family friend, said he believed the mother and teenage girl “were not very good swimmers”. He said that those involved came from east London, with one family based in Barking.
Matiur Rahman, the brother-in-law of Shelina Rahman, told the BBC: “We all feel very bad, my four brothers, my sister … My whole family – we are speechless. We are very shocked.”
Rahman was told in a phone call from his brother about the tragedy. “They went in Colchester, [to the] seaside, and they were near water and playing with them, then suddenly a big wave came,” he said, adding that about 10 family members were on the day out.
Carl Powling, of Colchester council, said his daughter was one of three teenage waitresses at a local cafe who had tried to help. “Members of the public witnessed it, called the emergency services, helped starting to pull people out, then they went into the Seaview cafe to ask for assistance,” he said.
A woman, who did not give her name, told the Press Association that the incident had happened at high tide, which caught the small group on a sandbank.
“It comes in very quickly and you have to be careful,” she said, adding that there was “quite a commotion” and “just total panic”. She said helicopters were deployed and the air was filled with the sound of sirens.
“That was quite alarming, for a small place like this, I think that’s why so many people are shocked,” she said. “The beach was packed with people, they were coming down to see what was going on.”
The woman said the emergency services “worked diligently” to deal with an “absolutely tragic” incident.
There have been at least 29 accidental deaths in open water across the UK since the middle of May, according to the National Water Safety Forum.
The area in Essex is known for its strong currents, though the local MP, Bernard Jenkin, told the BBC that “we don’t think of West Mersea beach as a dangerous beach”.
Anyone who was in the area at the time and has information or footage that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the police on 101 and quote incident 1090.
