Mother and daughter die in sea off Essex beach, boy critical
A mother and her daughter died after getting into difficulty in the sea off an Essex beach, and a seven-year-old boy is in serious condition.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A mother and her teenage daughter have died after getting into difficulty in the sea off a beach in Essex, while a seven-year-old boy remains in a serious condition in hospital. The incident happened at West Mersea beach on Wednesday afternoon, 22 July.
Emergency services were called at around 5.35pm following reports that several people had got into trouble in the water near Seaview Avenue. Despite efforts from the coastguard, RNLI, air ambulances and police, a woman in her 40s and a teenage girl could not be revived. The two victims have been named by family as Shali Rahman, 41, and her daughter Samiha, 15. The seven-year-old boy, believed to be Samiha's cousin, was airlifted to hospital and is in a serious condition. Two other people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police believe the group, thought to be two families from East London of Bangladeshi heritage, were known to each other. Witnesses said the mother and daughter appeared to have been trying to rescue the young boy when they got into difficulty. A family friend told reporters the group had been on a day trip to the beach.
Local residents described a large rescue operation, with some saying they saw CPR being performed on the beach. Community members rushed to help, bringing towels and other items, and urged onlookers not to film the scene. One woman placed a yellow rose on the pebbles where the incident happened.
Essex Police have appealed for anyone who was at the beach at the time and has not yet spoken to officers to come forward. Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher said: "Today our thoughts remain with the family members who are coming to terms with their loss."
The beach at West Mersea is a popular spot but can be dangerous. Locals warned that the incoming tide creates strong currents and cold water shock is a real threat. The area sees roughly double the average number of RNLI launches compared to other UK beaches. The Prime Minister described the deaths as "very, very sad" and urged people to consider the dangers of open water swimming.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC NEWS | BBC One | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two people, a teenage girl and a woman in her 40s, died in the incident. | |||||
| A third person is in hospital in a serious condition. | · | ||||
| The incident occurred around 5:30pm on 22 July 2026. | · | ||||
| The individuals involved in the incident were known to each other. | · | ||||
| Rescue efforts involved RNLI, air ambulance, coast guard helicopter, fire engine, ambulances, and police. | · | · | |||
| Three other people were taken to hospital, one in serious condition and two with non-life-threatening injuries. | · | · | |||
| Local residents described the search and rescue operation as the largest they could remember. | · | · | · | ||
| One of the seriously injured people was taken to hospital by air, three others by road. | · | · | · | · | |
| Six members of two families were involved in the incident. | · | · | · | · | |
| The family are from East London and of Bangladeshi heritage. | · | · | · | · | |
| The incident occurred at high tide. | · | · | · | · | |
| The Prime Minister described the deaths as very sad and thanked emergency services. | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the official police statement and the physical dangers of the beach, such as incoming tides and cold water shock. The coverage was factual and included a call for witnesses, but also began with unrelated political commentary before pivoting to the tragedy.
- “Despite the efforts of the emergency services, we can sadly confirm that a teenage girl and a woman in her 40s have died.”
- “the incoming tides there can cut off escape routes and cold water shock there remains a real threat and it is a body of water where conditions change particularly fast.”
BBC News emphasised the scale of the rescue operation and the community's response, including witnesses seeing CPR on the beach. The tone was sombre and focused on the human impact, with a reporter on the ground describing the scene.
- “we've heard that truly tragic scenes unfolded some local people saying that they witnessed CPR taking place on the beach.”
- “the search and rescue operation which launched at around 5.30 p.m. yesterday was the biggest in size and scale, certainly, that they can remember.”
BBC ONE West provided the most detailed naming of victims and included strong community elements, such as a yellow rose left on the beach and residents helping. The later bulletin gave the full names and ages, and included a witness describing the strong current preventing further rescues.
- “a lady came and lay a yellow rose down On the pebbles where the incident itself had had happened”
- “Mother and daughter Shali Rahman, who was 41, and her daughter Samiha, who was 15, died.”
- “one of the ladies was over there getting CPR done when we got there. The other one, you could still see, well, we could still see two people in the water, but no-one could go in because the current was too strong”
ITV1 focused on the family connection, reporting that the victims were a mother and daughter from London who were trying to save the boy. The News at Ten bulletin also highlighted a previous family tragedy, with the father having died in a similar incident in 2023. The coverage was emotional and personal.
- “a mother and daughter and that they were cousins who had visited the beach on a day trip from London.”
- “It seems they were trying to save Samir's seven-year-old cousin from the waves.”
- “Her father died rescuing his little boy from drowning in 2023.”
5 News focused on water safety and the community's shock, naming the victims as Sally and Samir Rahman. It included a family friend's account and highlighted the high number of RNLI launches in the area, framing the story as a preventable tragedy and a warning to others.
- “Sally and Samir may have been trying to save the younger child who's in hospital from the water”
- “West Mersea handles roughly double the number of our NLI launches compared to the UK Average”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.