Community holds vigil for three killed at beach

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.

"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."

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."

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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.