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The wife and teenage daughter of a Bangladeshi politician have drowned off a beach in Essex, The Telegraph can disclose.
Shelina Rahman, a British-Bangladeshi teacher in her 40s, and her daughter Sameeha Rahman, 15, died after getting into difficulty at Seaview Avenue in West Mersea near Colchester on Wednesday evening.
Mrs Rahman’s husband is Dr Monsur Rahman, the leader of Jubo Dal UK, the overseas youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Britain, said relatives and party officials.
Mujibur Rahman, the father of Shelina and grandfather to Sameeha, said a seven-year-old family member was on life support in a London hospital following the incident.
He revealed that his daughter had visited him earlier on Wednesday before leaving for the beach with family, adding that the family was still coming to terms with the losses.
Dr Rahman’s friends and colleagues called the loss “unimaginable” and urged people to pray for the family. Babor Chowdhury, a friend, said he prayed that Dr Rahman would be granted “the strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss”.
A lifeboat, two air ambulances and a coastguard helicopter were dispatched to the scene at around 5.30pm on Wednesday, following reports that a group of people had encountered difficulty in the sea.
In an update on Thursday morning, Essex Police said a teenage girl and a woman in her 40s had died. Three people were in hospital, including one in a serious condition. The other two had non-life threatening injuries, the force said.
The Telegraph understands that several people got into difficulty after a heavy incoming tide caused the sand beneath their feet to give way, sweeping them into the water.
A community representative familiar with the incident said that the mother and daughter were unable to swim.
The coastguard rescue team described it as a “tragic incident”.
Det Ch Insp Al Pitcher, of Essex Police, said: “Today, our thoughts remain with the family members who are coming to terms with their loss. We are grateful to the people who have already spoken to us and helped with our enquiries.
“We would ask anyone who was at the beach at the time, and who has not yet spoken with officers, to please get in touch, to help us understand what happened.”
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “Following reports of multiple people in distress in the water at Sea View Holiday Park, West Mersea, yesterday evening, we dispatched multiple resources including our Hazardous Area Response Team, critical-care paramedics and two air ambulances to the scene.
“Sadly, despite best efforts, two patients could not be resuscitated. One patient was transported by air to hospital, and a further three patients were transported by road to hospital.”
There is no permanent lifeguard service on West Mersea beach. The pebble and sand beach faces south on an estuary off Mersea Island, which is cut off from the mainland at high tide.
Visitors are frequently warned to be aware of changing conditions, including unpredictable currents and rising water.
Witnesses claimed that a person had been swept away by an incoming tide and other people had attempted to swim out to help. They said the estuary water had been rising at the time of the incident, with marine and weather observations showing high tide had been just over an hour after the distress call.
Another claimed they had seen at least one casualty being loaded into an air ambulance.
“The first we knew something was wrong was when we heard a helicopter overhead,” one witness said. “I spoke to someone who saw the emergency services working on someone and pumping their chest on the beach.”
Chris Whitehead, 66, a retired school receptionist, was enjoying a day on the beach when she heard cries from a man that his family was in danger.
She added: “He shouted, ‘That’s my family’. There was a group of them together in the water, maybe five children and they were miles out. I said, ‘Those kids are in trouble out there’.
“They were laughing and playing around and then all of a sudden it just turned.”
It is thought the youngsters were playing in the water when the tide came in, alongside a strong riptide.
The man’s cries for help prompted Steph Phillip, Ms Whitehead’s daughter-in-law, to call the coastguard. The emergency services arrived within five minutes after being waved down by a man with a spade.
People on the beach tried to get into the water to help, but were advised not to because those in difficulty were more than 330ft from the shore. Others rallied by grabbing foil blankets for the injured, as one girl ran to get a life buoy.
Three teenage workers from the nearby Seaview Beach Cafe also rushed out to help.
Leonie Powling, 19, and Kiera French, 18, were among the first on the scene and sat with casualties as they were brought ashore.
Ms Whitehead said: “When the coastguard went out, one of the boys was just floating, so he knew what to do. He put his arm out when the boat approached.”
Ms Phillip, who was on the beach with her 16-month-old daughter for their first holiday together, said: “I was sobbing, it was so upsetting. There were two children being resuscitated and then a fourth child came in limp.”
Witnesses said the children were wearing shorts and T-shirts while the women who were calling for help were wearing burkas.
Mishba Uddin, a family friend, said Ms Rahman and her daughter were not strong swimmers.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, he said she and her sister had been visiting West Mersea beach for the day with their children but didn’t know how they had got into trouble.
“They came to visit this spot here,” he said.
“They are a very loveable, well-respected family. I’m heartbroken like anybody else, it’s devastating. We as a whole community are in shock. We’re praying for everyone involved.”
Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, pledged to support local authorities, telling ITV Anglia he was “so sad to hear the news”.
He added: “It does bring over, sometimes, the dangers of open water swimming at this time of the year. I just would ask people to consider that.
“But thank you to the emergency services who stepped in and of course, you know, we will work to support the local authorities as we get to the bottom of this.”
Sir Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, said in a post on X: “I am sad and shocked to hear of the serious incident off the beach in West Mersea.
“We cannot speculate about what happened, but the response has been fantastic. I thank @HMCoastguard who will have been first on scene and all the emergency services. We await further news and extend sympathy to all those affected.”
In 2023, a father died at the beach while trying to save his toddler, after they were swept away by a riptide.
David Cole, 30, had held his three-year-old son’s head above the water until volunteer lifeguards and professional rescuers came to their aid. The boy was saved, but Cole suffered exhaustion and died.
Katie Macdonald, his partner, was on the beach with the couple’s other son during the rescue and later described him as a “hero”.
