Saja El Kowas, 6, dies after West Sussex sea rescue that killed her parents and sister
Six-year-old British-Palestinian girl Saja El Kowas has died in hospital after being rescued from the sea off West Sussex, where her parents and sister were killed.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A six-year-old British-Palestinian girl has died in hospital after being rescued from the sea off the coast of West Sussex. Saja El Kowas was brought ashore at Shoreham Fort on Tuesday after her family got into trouble in the water. Her parents and her 14-year-old sister were killed in the incident.
The girl was taken to hospital following the rescue, but died later. The deaths of her parents and sister mean the incident has claimed four lives. Emergency services attended the scene at Shoreham Fort, a coastal landmark near Shoreham-by-Sea.
The family's identity has been confirmed, with the girl described as British-Palestinian. The circumstances of how the family came to be in difficulty are still being established. No further details have been released.
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 |
|---|---|
| A girl died in hospital after a family got into trouble at Shoreham Fort, where her parents and sister were also killed. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel reported the death as a short news brief, stating only the essential facts without additional context or reaction. It gave the girl's name, the location, and the family's deaths, then immediately moved on to an unrelated court story, so coverage was minimal and purely factual.
- “A six-year-old British-Palestinian girl has died in hospital after being rescued from the sea off the coast of West Sussex.”
- “Saja El Kowas and her family got into trouble at Shoreham Fort on Tuesday.”
- “Her parents and 14-year-old sister were killed in the incident.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.