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Girl, 6, dies after family killed in sea off Shoreham

Catherine EvansSouth East
EDDIE MITCHELL ambulances and a helicopter lined up by the shoreEDDIE MITCHELL
A huge emergency response was seen at Shoreham after the family was reported to be in difficulty in the sea

A six-year-old girl has died in hospital after getting into difficulty in the sea off Shoreham in West Sussex, in an incident which also killed her father, mother and sister.

Saja El-Khawas, a British Palestinian from London, was pulled from the sea by emergency crews on Tuesday.

Her father Hassan El Khawas, 55, mother Zeina Alayn, 37, and 14-year-old sister Sara, died despite the efforts of paramedics at the scene.

Emergency services were called to the sea off Shoreham Fort at about 14:40 BST on Tuesday to a report of four people in difficulty in the water.

Al-Arab in UK a composition of photos of three family members - a man who is smiling, a woman looking gently at the camera, and a young teenage girl, who is smilingAl-Arab in UK
Saja's parents and elder sister died on Tuesday despite attempts to resuscitate them

In a statement, Sussex Police said the family had travelled down from their home in London to visit Shoreham that day.

The force said the family had entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort about 14:00 before getting into trouble.

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