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A tragic summer day out along the Essex coastline has turned into a detailed forensic investigation as detectives gather witness testimony following a fatal tidal incident off Mersea Island that claimed the lives of a mother and her teenage daughter from a British-Bangladeshi Sylheti family residing in Barking, East London.
Medical staff at the Royal London Hospital continue around-the-clock monitoring of the seven-year-old boy who was rescued from the water and remains in critical condition on life support. The youngster, identified by family members as the cousin of 15-year-old Sameeha Rahman, was airlifted directly from the beach on Wednesday evening after getting into severe difficulty in fast-moving water near Seaview Avenue, prompting family members to enter the sea in a desperate rescue attempt.
The victims have been identified as 41-year-old Shalina (Shelly) Rahman, a British-Bangladeshi teacher, and her 15-year-old daughter, Sameeha Rahman. The family has deep roots tracing back to Dakshin Surma in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh; Sameeha’s paternal grandfather was the late Mokhon Mia, a former local council chairman, while her maternal grandfather is Mujibur Rahman Mujib, a former Vice President of UK BNP. Mrs Rahman was also the wife of Mansur Rahman, leader of Jubo Dal UK. Relatives confirmed that both mother and daughter entered the water to reach the struggling child despite not being strong swimmers.
Three other individuals involved in the incident were transported to hospital by land ambulance for medical evaluation, while emergency crews and brave bystanders conducted extensive CPR on the shoreline in a tragic attempt to revive the mother and daughter.
Bystanders and local residents rallied together in a frantic bid to assist before emergency teams arrived. Eyewitnesses described a daring effort by a passerby who repeatedly swam out into freezing water and treacherous high-tide conditions to pull children to safety, while three teenage workers from a nearby beach diner joined an off-duty paramedic to administer immediate first aid on the sand. Nearby flat residents also rushed to the beach with warm blankets to support emergency personnel and victims retrieved from the water.
Senior detectives investigating on behalf of HM Coroner are completing formal witness statements and compiling physical evidence regarding the shoreline mechanics near Sea View Holiday Park. Detectives told journalists that investigators are examining how an incoming high tide combined with rapid localized water movement caused a submerged sandbank to give way beneath the footings of the group, leaving them trapped in deep water and sudden currents.
Speaking on the progress of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher told journalists that officers are working tirelessly to establish the full circumstances and are supporting the grieving family during this unimaginable time. Motiur Rahman, the brother-in-law of the deceased Shelly Rahman, expressed the unbearable grief surrounding the sudden loss, stating that the entire extended family remains utterly stunned and speechless.
Reports submitted to daily dazzling dawn indicate that police cordons at the beach have now been lifted as the case transitions into formal forensic channels. Pathologists are preparing to conduct formal post-mortem examinations under the direction of the coroner to determine the official medical causes of death, after which an inquest will formally open at the Essex Coroner’s Court in Chelmsford to outline the scope of the full judicial inquiry.
