A six-year-old girl has died in hospital days after being pulled from the sea off Shoreham in West Sussex, in an incident that also claimed the lives of her parents and elder sister.

Saja El-Khawas, a British Palestinian from London, passed away following the incident on Tuesday. Her father Hassan El-Khawas, 55, mother Zeina Alayn, 37, and 14-year-old sister Sara all died on the beach despite immediate resuscitation attempts by paramedics.

The family had travelled down from their home in London for a day visit to the coast. According to Sussex Police, they entered the water from the beach near Shoreham Fort at around 14:00 BST before finding themselves in trouble.

Emergency services were alerted at about 14:40 BST to reports of four people in difficulty in the sea at Kingston Beach, which sits a short distance from Shoreham Port.

A major rescue operation was quickly mobilised, bringing together teams from HM Coastguard, the RNLI, the South East Coast Ambulance Service and Sussex Police. Saja was recovered from the water by emergency crews and taken to hospital, but emergency workers were unable to save her father, mother and sister at the scene.

As for what led to the incident, Sussex Police have confirmed that their investigation remains open. However, after examining CCTV footage and speaking with initial witnesses, officers believe this was a tragic accident with no third-party involvement.

Chief Superintendent James Collis said the news of Saja's death was an update that everyone had feared following Tuesday's events. He said the impact has been felt across the country, adding that the local community, the emergency responders and everyone involved will continue to be affected for a long time to come.

The family were British citizens of Palestinian origin with roots in the Rashidieh refugee camp in Lebanon, and their extended family had lived in the UK for many years, according to the Palestinian Forum.

In Shoreham, members of the local community have been leaving floral tributes along the shore. Local councillor Joss Loader, who represents the Shoreham Beach Residents' Association and has lived in the area for most of her life, described the deaths as a "shocking, heart-rending tragedy".

What we know about the next formal steps is that police are preparing a full file for the coroner ahead of an inquest, which will look closely at the precise circumstances of the incident.

I'll be following this one and will let you know when further details emerge from the inquest — check back for updates.