HORSHAM — An inquest has opened into the deaths of four members of the same family who got into difficulty in the sea off Shoreham and later died. Hussam El-Khawas, 55, Zeina Alayan, 37, and their 13-year-old daughter Sara were pronounced dead after being brought to shore by lifeboat crews on 18 August.
The couple’s younger daughter, six-year-old Saja El-Khawas, died three days later at Evelina Children’s Hospital in London. Senior coroner Penelope Scholfield opened the inquest and then adjourned it until March 2027, offering her sincere condolences to the wider family.
Youngest daughter died after treatment at Evelina Children’s Hospital
Coroner’s court heard that Saja was resuscitated after the incident, but she showed signs of a brain injury throughout treatment. No provisional cause of death was given for any of the four family members at the opening hearing.
The deaths came after the family entered the water from the beach near Shoreham Fort at about 14:00 BST, according to the account heard in court. It is believed they had travelled from their home in London to visit Shoreham before the tragedy unfolded.
The inquest has only just begun, so detailed findings on how the family got into difficulty are still to come. The coroner said the case would be revisited after the police investigation is complete.
Family were living in north west London when tragedy happened
The inquest in Horsham was told that the family lived in north west London. El-Khawas worked as a construction worker, while Alayan was a homemaker. Both parents were Lebanese nationals with British passports, and the children were born in Kensington.
The Palestinian embassy previously said El-Khawas was a Palestinian refugee from the Rashidieh Camp in Lebanon. After their deaths, the bodies were repatriated to Lebanon, where a funeral was held, according to the Palestinian Forum in Britain.
That organisation said money had been raised to help transfer the bodies after relatives were unable to travel to the UK because of visa restrictions. Mohammed Fadi of the forum said the fundraising was intended both to cover the transfer and to allow the family to see the bodies for the last time.
Sussex Police inquiry still ongoing with no third-party involvement suspected
A Sussex Police investigation remains ongoing. The inquest was told that officers are satisfied there was no third-party involvement in the deaths.
The coroner said the inquest will resume once the police investigation has concluded. Until then, the court will not make further findings on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The case has drawn attention because it involved a whole family and ended with deaths at sea, followed by treatment in hospital in London and repatriation to Lebanon. For now, the legal process is still at an early stage.
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