Wife of Bangladeshi politician named and pictured after drowning with daughter as they 'tried to save child' at sea
A third person, believed to be a seven-year-old child, is also in a serious condition in hospital and two more are being treated for non-life threatening injuries
The wife of a Bangladeshi politician who died alongside her daughter as the pair tried to rescue another child in the sea at a holiday park has been named and pictured.
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The woman and teenager got into difficulty in the water at the Sea View Holiday Park, off the coast of West Mersea in Essex, while another child is seriously ill in hospital.
The deceased have since been named locally as Shelina Rahman, a British-born Bangladeshi teacher in her 40s, and her 15-year-old daughter Sameeha, 15, who are the wife and child of politician Dr Mansur Rahman.
They had been on a summer trip to the beach when they attempted to rescue another child from the water, but were left stranded by the high tide.
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Eye witnesses told LBC they noticed three people being administered CPR on the beach on Wednesday evening.
The coastguard rescue team described as a "tragic incident" and emergency services urged people to avoid part of the beach.
The pair are the wife and daughter of Dr Mansur Rahman, the leader of Jubo Dal UK, youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The family said on social media: "With deep sorrow and a heavy heart, we inform you that the wife of the Joint Secretary of the UK Youth Wing, beloved Dr. Sheikh [Monsur Rahman], and his 15-year-old daughter drowned in the sea yesterday.
"The deceased has been confirmed by the police.
"We express our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and pray for the forgiveness of the deceased and the speedy recovery of the injured."
Two other people are in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Eye witnesses have told LBC that they believe relatives of the deceased had been staying in the huts on the beach when the tragedy unfolded.
A woman and her daughter-in-law called the coastguard, and told LBC's Shivani Sharma: "We were sitting here and I could see that they were in trouble, and I stood up and said those kids are in trouble.
"I said there are no grown-ups out there and then a woman came out of one of the huts, she was fully dressed.
"She got in the water and she got about halfway, and I could see that she couldn't swim, she couldn't do anything, and she came back."
They added a man followed into the water who shouted that it was his family who were in the water and that members of the public, including two photographers doing a photo shoot, carried out CPR on a number of people.
Another told The Sun: "There are dangerous rip tides here and it looked like the people in trouble were on the sandbank. The water comes in so fast.
The West Mersea Coastguard Rescue Team said on Facebook that they had been called to an incident near Seaview Avenue on Wednesday evening.
At least six ambulances were present alongside a a dozen police cars, a fire engine, a lifeboat, two air ambulances and a coastguard helicopter yesterday evening, but the beach has since reopened.
The area is known for its strong currents, which is often said to take swimmers by surprise.
The ambulance service said it responded to reports of "multiple people in distress in the water at Sea View Holiday Park".
Family friend Mishba Uddin said he believed a young girl had got into trouble in the water and an older cousin then tried to help.
He said the child in a critical condition after the incident was a seven-year-old girl who was the cousin of the deceased child – a teenage girl, who Mr Uddin said was aged 15.
He said he heard that "the little one got into trouble then the other one tried to save" her.
He said the family were "just a working-class family going for a day out".
"We as a whole community are in shock actually," he said. Mr Uddin added that as far as he knew the mother and teenage girl who died "were not very good swimmers".
Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher said: "Today, our thoughts remain with the family members who are coming to terms with their loss.
"We are grateful to the people who have already spoken to us and helped with our inquiries.
Another said the incident happened at high tide.happened at high tide.
She said: "The tide was a lot further in than it is now and that sandbank, they were on there and the tide came in.
"It comes in very quickly and you have to be careful."
"We would ask anyone who was at the beach at the time, and who has not yet spoken with officers, to please get in touch, to help us understand what happened."
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "Following reports of multiple people in distress in the water at Sea View Holiday Park, West Mersea yesterday evening, we dispatched multiple resources including our Hazardous Area Response Team, critical care paramedics and two air ambulances to the scene.
"Sadly, despite best efforts, two patients could not be resuscitated.“One patient was transported by air to hospital, and a further three patients were transported by road to hospital."
Bernard Jenkin, MP for Harwich & North Essex, wrote on X: "I am sad and shocked to hear of the serious incident off the beach in West Mersea. We cannot speculate about what happened, but the response has been fantastic.
"I thank HM Coastguard who will have been first on the scene and all the emergency services. We await further news and extend sympathy to all those affected."