A six-year-old girl has tragically died in hospital days after three members of her family drowned when they got into difficulty in the water at a popular West Sussex beach.

Saja El-Khawas was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after she was pulled from the sea at Shoreham-by-Sea on Tuesday afternoon.

Her death means that all four members of the family who entered the water have now died following the devastating incident.

Saja had been swimming with her 14-year-old sister Sara, their father Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and mother Zeina Alyan, 37, when the family got into trouble close to the shore.

The family were recovered from the water by emergency crews, but despite desperate efforts to save them, Hassan, Zeina and Sara died.

Saja remained critically ill in hospital for several days before her death was confirmed by a law firm acting for the hospital and the Palestinian Forum in Britain.

The tragedy has left relatives, neighbours and members of the local community devastated.

The family had travelled from their home in north-west London to Shoreham for what was understood to have been a family day out.

They entered the water at around 2pm, with Chief Superintendent James Collis saying all four relatives had gone into the sea together for a swim before getting into difficulty.

An enormous emergency response was launched after the alarm was raised at around 3pm.

Two helicopters, eight ambulances, lifeboat crews and coastguard teams were sent racing to the scene as horrified beachgoers watched the rescue operation unfold.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as emergency workers attempted to bring the family back to shore.

Joe Chrisp, 24, said a local fisherman had told him that the people involved were “two adults, two kids”.

Earlier reports suggested one of the children may have become caught in a fishing net, although police have continued to investigate exactly what happened.

The precise sequence of events remains unclear.

What is known is that all four family members ended up in serious difficulty in the water, prompting a frantic rescue operation.

Saja was eventually brought ashore and taken to hospital, where doctors fought to save her life.

Sadly, her condition remained critical.

Her death several days later has added another heartbreaking chapter to a tragedy that has already claimed three lives.

Saja’s father, Hassan El-Khawas, was 55 and had reportedly come to Britain more than a decade ago after living in the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

His wife, Zeina Alyan, 37, also died in the incident.

Their teenage daughter Sara, 14, was the third family member to lose her life.

Sara was remembered as a popular and kind pupil by her school, with staff describing her as a “sweet girl” who was well-liked by both classmates and teachers.

The teenager had been caught up in the desperate attempts to save her younger sister, according to reports surrounding the incident.

The family had reportedly lived together in a two-bedroom council flat in north-west London for years.

Neighbours described them as a warm and close family and spoke of their shock at learning that the day trip to the seaside had ended in such devastating circumstances.

One neighbour previously recalled seeing Hassan shortly before the trip and said he had mentioned that the family were planning to go down to the seaside.

Hassan was said to have worked as a builder and was remembered locally as friendly, approachable and always smiling.

Another neighbour said the family had previously lived in the Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon before making their home in Britain.

Tributes have also been paid to Sara by the school she attended.

The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls described the Year 8 pupil as a “sweet girl” who was well-liked by staff and students.

In a statement, the school 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.”

The school said Sara would be “greatly missed” and offered condolences to her family and friends.

It also said additional support was being made available to students and staff affected by the news.

The tragedy has understandably sent shockwaves through the school community, where pupils and teachers are now being forced to process the sudden loss of a young girl during what should have been a period of summer holidays.

The school urged people to respect the family’s privacy as they come to terms with their loss.

Beachgoers described seeing lifeboats, ambulances and aircraft rushing towards the shoreline after the alarm was raised.

Victoria Flint, from nearby Horsham, was at the beach with her husband Gary and their children when the emergency unfolded.

She recalled hearing the lifeboat siren before watching the vessel launch.

About 20 minutes later, she saw it return and ambulances began arriving.

More emergency vehicles followed before air ambulances also descended on the area.

The scale of the response reflected the seriousness of the situation, with emergency crews working desperately to locate and recover those who had been swept into difficulty.

Witnesses also described the sea as choppy and the weather as particularly windy.

Local resident Anna Peacock, 81, said she believed some visitors might underestimate the dangers posed by the water.

She warned that the area can have a strong current capable of carrying swimmers away from the shore very quickly.

Her comments highlighted the potentially unpredictable nature of the sea, even when conditions appear inviting.

Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

However, there has been no suggestion of criminal wrongdoing and the incident is being treated as a tragic water emergency.

Investigators are expected to examine witness accounts, emergency calls and other evidence to establish precisely how the family became trapped in the water.

Authorities will also seek to understand whether factors such as currents, weather conditions or an object in the water contributed to the tragedy.

For now, the deaths have left a grieving family facing an almost unimaginable loss.

In a matter of minutes, a family who had travelled from London for a day beside the sea lost their entire immediate family.

The Palestinian Embassy confirmed Hassan’s connection to the Rashidieh Camp in Lebanon, while the Palestinian Forum in Britain also expressed its sorrow following the deaths.

Earlier tributes described the family as coming from the Palestinian refugee community and offered prayers for the relatives and friends left behind.

Flowers and other tributes have been placed near the scene as the community remembers the four victims.

Saja’s death is particularly heartbreaking because she survived the initial incident and spent several days in hospital while doctors attempted to save her.

Her condition had remained critical before her death was confirmed.

The tragedy has therefore evolved from a desperate rescue operation into a devastating loss of four lives.

As the investigation continues, the family will be remembered not simply as victims of a terrible seaside accident, but as parents and children whose lives were abruptly cut short during an ordinary family day out.

For those who witnessed the emergency response, the images of lifeboats, ambulances and helicopters descending on the beach are likely to remain with them for years.

And for the relatives of Hassan, Zeina, Sara and little Saja, the loss will be immeasurably greater.

What began as a summer trip to the coast has ended in a tragedy that has devastated an entire family and left communities in both London and Shoreham mourning four lives lost in the water.