THE WIFE and teenage daughter of a Bangladeshi politician in Britain died after an incident at a beach in Essex, where police believe they were trying to help a seven-year-old boy who got into difficulty in the water.
Family members identified the victims as Shalina Rahman, 42, a British-Bangladeshi teacher, and her 15-year-old daughter, Sameeha. The boy, believed to be a family member, remained on life support at a London hospital, reported The Guardian.
Shalina Rahman's husband is Mansur Rahman, leader of Jubo Dal UK, the overseas youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Britain. Her father is Mujibur Rahman, a former vice-president of the party in Britain.
The family had been on a summer holiday in West Mersea. They are believed to have got into difficulty after an incoming high tide caused the sand beneath their feet to give way.
Essex Police said it was called by the ambulance service at 5.35pm on Wednesday following reports of an incident near Seaview Avenue.
Detective Chief Inspector Al Pitcher said: "At this stage we believe they were trying to help a seven-year-old boy who had got into difficulties.
"The boy was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, but the woman and teenage girl, sadly, died. All the people involved in this incident are related to each other."
He added: "As part of our investigation we are speaking to dozens of witnesses, taking their accounts and building a picture of what happened."
Family friend Mishba Uddin said the boy got into trouble in the water and Sameeha tried to help. He said the mother and daughter "were not very good swimmers". A witness told the Press Association the incident happened at high tide after the group was caught on a sandbank.
The East of England Ambulance Service said two patients could not be resuscitated despite efforts to save them, while one patient was taken to hospital by air and three others by road. Police have appealed for anyone with information or footage to contact them on 101, quoting incident 1090.
