Palestinian-British girl, 6, dies days after family drowned off UK coast

What the report says

A six-year-old Palestinian-British girl, Saja el-Khawas, has died in hospital days after her parents and sister drowned off the coast of southern England, according to Sussex police and reporting by Al Jazeera and Reuters. The family had been rescued in Shoreham, Sussex, on Tuesday after getting into difficulty in the water during the UK’s latest heatwave. Saja had been taken to hospital in critical condition, but police said Friday that she later died.

Police said Saja’s father, Hassan El-Khawas, 55, her mother, Zeina Alayn, 37, and her 14-year-old sister, Sara El-Khawas, all died at the scene. The investigation remains open, though police said the current assessment is that the deaths were a tragic accident and that there is no indication of third-party involvement. The family lived in London but had traveled to Shoreham for a beach visit.

Al Jazeera reported that the family was said by the Palestinian embassy to have originally come from the Rashidieh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. The report also said Hassan had previously lived there as a refugee. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the incident as a terrible family tragedy.

The case comes amid wider concern about drownings during hot weather across Europe this summer. Al Jazeera noted that authorities in several countries have reported similar incidents as people seek relief from extreme temperatures.