Ealing school pays tribute to girl who died alongside family in sea off the coast off Shoreham

Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls “deeply saddened” by the loss of 14 year old Sara El-Khawas

Sara El-Khawas

Sara El-Khawas died alongside her parents after getting into difficulty in the water off the coast of Shoreham on Sea in West Sussex. Her school, in Ealing, has paid tribute to the “well-liked, sweet girl”.

Sara, her mother and father, Zeina Alayn (37) and Hassan El-Khawas (55), and her little sister Saja (6) went into the water near Shoreham Fort on Tuesday 18 August, according to Sussex police. The family are believed to have travelled to Shoreham from London for the day.

The Palestinian Forum said the family were British citizens of Palestinian origin, with roots in the Rashidieh refugee camp in Lebanon.

Police, paramedics and coastguard crews pulled four people from the water. Sara and her parents were pronounced dead at the scene, while Sara’s six year old sister Saja was hospitalised and died on Friday. It is believed to be a tragic accident with no third party involvement.

Flowers were left near the RNLI station on Kingston Beach in Shoreham on Thursday morning.

The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls put a statement on its website that said:

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that our Year 8 student, Sara, has died following a tragic incident during the school holidays.

“Sara was a sweet girl, well-liked by staff and students, and she will be greatly missed.”

The statement acknowledged the news will be “deeply upsetting for many students, families and staff”. The school further asked for the family’s privacy to be “respected as they come to terms with this loss”.

Rachel Kruger, head teacher of the Ealing school, said:

“We are deeply saddened by this, our thoughts are with her family, friends and all those affected.

“Our focus is now on supporting staff and students who have been affected by this.”