An unnamed day-tripper swam out three times to rescue two children from the water off West Mersea beach, as a mother and daughter drowned trying to save a seven-year-old boy, witnesses said.
Shally Rahman, 41, and her daughter Samiha, 15, from Ilford, London, died at the scene on Wednesday evening after wading in to help the young relative, who remains in hospital fighting for his life. The family, from Barking, east London, were on a holiday trip when “suddenly a big wave came”, according to Shally Rahman’s brother-in-law, Matiur Rahman.
“Unnamed hero swam three times to save two children as mother and daughter drowned at West Mersea beach.”
“We are speechless. We can’t believe what we heard,” he told the BBC from Bangladesh. A family friend said the pair were “not very good swimmers” and were just on a “day out”.
Beverly Smit, 60, who witnessed the tragedy unfold, described how the unnamed rescuer — called a “Good Samaritan” — hauled two children back to shore despite strong currents. “He swam out, I think, three times. Two of the children he brought back were not in good condition. It’s not an easy swim when the tide’s coming in — you’re swimming against the tide,” she said. The water was “particularly quite cold”.
Residents and teenagers rushed to help. Leonie Powling, 19, working at the nearby Seaview Beach Diner, recalled watching people administer CPR. “We wished we helped a bit more, but we did what we could. Now knowing that people have died, it’s a lot sadder that we were there and kind of witnessed it.”
The group had been on a sandbank when the tide came in “very quickly”, eyewitnesses said. Essex Police were called at 5.35pm. The young boy was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital; three others were taken by ambulance.
Local residents told the Mirror the beach was a “tragedy waiting to happen”, noting a previous drowning in 2023 when a 30-year-old father died saving his three-year-old son. Concerns about safety measures have been raised for years.
Matiur Rahman described his niece Samiha as a “very, very good person”. The Labour MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah, whose constituent is a family member, said the deaths had been felt “very deeply” locally. “They tried to save them but couldn’t. I am just absolutely devastated and shocked that this could happen. The family went out for a day on the beach.”