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Community holds vigil for three killed at beach

Mariam Issimdarand
Henry Godfrey-Evans,West Mersea
Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC People gathering on a beach. It is a sunny evening. The sea is in the distance and roofs of huts can be seen.Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC
People gathered on Wednesday evening at West Mersea beach where three members of a family were killed

A vigil has been held on a beach to remember three members of a family who died after a trip to the seaside.

Shelina Rahman, 41, and her 15-year-old daughter Sameeha, were with five other members of their extended family when they died after getting into difficulty in the water at West Mersea, Essex, on 22 July.

Musa Ahmed, aged seven, who was airlifted to hospital, died on Tuesday.

About 100 people attended the vigil, including the Reverend Jo Parrott, of St Peter and St Paul's church in West Mersea, who organised the event and said the deaths had affected many people.

Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC The Reverend Jo Parrott wears a black and white spotted dress with a white clerical collar. She is sitting on a sandy beach with flowers on the sand. The sea is in the distance.Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC
The Reverend Jo Parrott said local people were grieving the three deaths

"They've been really, really knocked by it, and it taps into people's own experiences of loss and of tragedy, and so actually it's a lot more far-reaching than we're aware of," she said.

The vigil lasted 15 minutes.

Parrott added: "It felt very, very natural and just something that people were happy to do and needed to do."

Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC Matthew Dilley is bare-chested. He wears sports sunglasses and a beaded necklace. People can be seen gathered in a group behind him on the sands.Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC
Attending the vigil was water sports instructor Matthew Dilley, who is calling for better signage about the dangers of local currents

Also attending the vigil was kite surfer and water sports instructor Matthew Dilley.

"I don't expect anything else from Mersea," he said of the turnout.

"As you can see here, there's a lot of love and a lot of respect for people.

"I just think we need to do more to help and protect people: more signs, a little QR code with a video, multicultural language. We just need to protect people."

The family had travelled to the island, near Colchester, from Barking in east London.

Musa's father, Shahin Ahmed, has said they were swept away by a "very strong" tide and police said they made "significant efforts to help each other".

Posting on Facebook, Ahmed said of his son: "He made every person feel special and never failed to bring happiness."

Lewis Adams/BBC A white Coastguard vehicle with the words "Search and Rescue" and "Coastguard" printed on the side. It is on a beach and beyond it is sea. There are four people in blue boiler suits at its rear door, which is open.Lewis Adams/BBC
Musa Ahmed was pulled from the water in West Mersea but died in hospital six days later
Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC Flowers, a trinket box and paper wreaths left on the sand. The sea is in the distance. Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC
Those attending the vigil left flowers

More from Essex

Lewis Adams/BBC An RNLI boat on the sea at West Mersea. It is orange and has at least two people clad in yellow hi-vis and yellow helmets on board.Lewis Adams/BBC
The professionalism and speed of emergency response teams has been praised by those who witnessed the incident

Bystanders – including Craig Bowe, who made three rescue attempts – sprung into action as the tragedy unfolded, administering CPR to the Rahmans.

The incident has prompted calls for extra safety measures on the beach, including signage and life jackets.

Colchester City Council and West Mersea Town Council have both said warning signs are due to be installed.

An investigation into the deaths is under way with officers trying to build a picture of how the tragedy unfolded.

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