A seven-year-old boy suffered a fatal brain injury and drowned after getting into difficulty in the sea during a family holiday outing to West Mersea, Essex. Musa Ahmed died six days after the incident on July 22. His cousin, 15-year-old Sameeha Rahman, and her mother, 41-year-old Shelina Rahman, also died while attempting to rescue Musa.
The inquest opening at Chelmsford County Hall on Thursday heard that the trio were on a family holiday when the tragedy occurred. Post-mortem examinations provisionally concluded that all three died from drowning. For Musa, a hypoxic ischaemic brain injury was also recorded as a provisional cause of death.
Senior coroner for Essex Lincoln Brookes described the incident as "so tragic" and noted the profound grief of three family members dying at the same time.
Emergency services were alerted to reports of several people in difficulty in the water near Seaview Avenue at approximately 5:35 p.m. on July 22. The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed that one patient was airlifted and three were transported by road to the hospital following the incident at Sea View Holiday Park.
Musa, from Romford, Essex, was brought ashore, stabilized, and flown to the Royal London Hospital. He passed away on July 28. Sameeha Rahman and Shelina Rahman, both from Ilford in east London, were also pronounced deceased.
In a statement, the family expressed gratitude to the Royal London Hospital intensive care unit team for their care and dignity, and thanked the community for their support and prayers. They requested privacy during their time of grief.
Musa's father, Shahin Ahmed, has called for a review of safety measures at West Mersea Beach. He stated, "I strongly agree with the calls from local residents for a review of safety measures at West Mersea Beach, including the provision of additional life–saving equipment and clear warning signage." He added, "While no action now can undo the pain we are suffering, we hope lessons can be learned to help prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future."
Mid-Essex Coroner's Court heard that Sameeha was pictured with her father, Dr. Mansur Rahman. Her mother, Shelina Rahman, was described as a teacher in her 40s.
Labour MP Naz Shah, representing Bradford West, paid tribute to Shelina Rahman and her daughter, calling them "a lovely, lovely family" and expressing devastation over the incident. She urged the public to follow water safety advice and thanked the emergency services.
The inquest has been adjourned until January 19, 2027.