Pictured: Palestinian refugee, his wife and daughter, who drowned in Shoreham sea tragedy - as second daughter fights for life
Emergency services say they were called to the scene at 3pm on Tuesday afternoon.
A father, who was among three members of the same family killed after getting into difficulty in waters off the West Sussex coast, has been identified as Hossam Al-Khawas - a Palestinian refugee.
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Separate updates, issued by the Palestinian Embassy and Sussex Police on Wednesday, confirmed that the father who died in Shoreham-by-Sea was a Palestinian refugee.
Mr Al-Khawas, 55, is thought to have gone into the water to swim with three other family members - thought to be his wife Zeina Alyan, 37, and their 14-year-old daughter Sarah El-Khawas - when they got into trouble off the Sussex coast on Tuesday afternoon.
The father was reportedly from the Rashidieh Camp in Lebanon, with Sussex Police confirming its investigation remains open.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 3pm on Tuesday afternoon, after four members of the same family got into difficulty in the sea, with four individuals later pulled from the water.
Read more: Three people from same family drown in tragedy off Sussex coast - as younger daughter fights for life in hospital
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It comes as a Palestinian Embassy spokesman told the Mirror: "The whole family is in a rough situation mentally - very very bad."
Despite Sussex Police's review of CCTV footage and initial witness accounts, it is currently thought the deaths were a tragic accident, with no third-party involvement.
Sources have said there is currently no evidence to suggest a fishing net was involved.
Sussex Police's Chief Superintendent James Collis confirmed that a man, a woman, and a teenage girl had lost their lives, with a fourth younger girl continuing to fight for their life in hospital.
Collis said the family's next of kin have been informed, and that they had entered the water from land for a swim and "sadly got into difficulty".
It comes as the Prime Minister warned of the dangers of open water swimming as he called the deaths of a mother, father and their teenage daughter who got into difficulty in water off Sussex “a terrible family tragedy”.
Andy Burnham said the Government can “always” do more on water safety after the incident when four people were pulled from the water in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, on Tuesday afternoon.
The senior officer added: "Our thoughts are with the friends and family. I know this incident will have a profound effect on the community."
The response was sparked after fishermen spotted the family struggling in the water.
Sussex Police have urged people to stay away from the area near Shoreham Fort.
The popular beach is just a 20-minute walk from Brighton.
Two air ambulances were seen close to the RNLI station in the holiday hotspot - alongside multiple road ambulances.
A section of the A259 in Shoreham was also closed due to the emergency response.
Earlier, a spokesman for HM Coastguard said: “HM Coastguard responded to an incident reported at Shoreham at about 2.45pm on 18 August.
“An HM Coastguard helicopter was sent as well as Littlehampton, Shoreham and Newhaven Coastguard Rescue Teams, and an RNLI lifeboat from Shoreham.
