Heartbreaking Beach Tragedy: Mother and Teenage Daughter D-i-e Trying to Save 7-Year-Old as Grieving Father Is Left Devastated
A POLITICIAN who lost his teen daughter after she was swept out to sea as she tried to save a child “can’t stop crying with unbearable grief.”
Dr Mansur Rahman also lost his wife Selina Rahman, 40, in the beach tragedy while witnesses watched on “helpless”.
Dr Mansur Rahman lost his wife and daughter in the tragedyCredit: Facebook / East Anglia News Service
Selina Rahman was among the group of five caught up in the horrorCredit: Refer to Source
The grieving dad was part of the Bangladeshi Nationalist Party’s UK wing and a leader of the Jubo Dal movement in Britain.
Both his daughter and wife tragically died as they valiantly tried to rescue a seven-year-old, understood to be a relative of the family.
Selina Rahman, 40, and her daughter Samia Rahman, 15 were among a group of five caught up in the horror at West Mersea, near Colchester, in Essex, on Wednesday evening.
The mum died alongside her daughter, who was trying to save Selina’s nephew, 7 – now in a coma in hospital – after they were swept away by the tide near a holiday park.
Samia Rahman in 2022 in SouthamptonCredit: Facebook.
Dr Rahman told how his daughter had visited him earlier in the day before heading to the beach with family.
According to a relative, around ten members of the family were playing near the sea when a “big wave came in.”
Selina and her daughter Samia, who tried to rescue the struggling 7-year-old, were reportedly poor swimmers.
Hundreds have flocked to Brick Lane Jamme Masjid Mosque in East London to pay their tributes in the wake of the tragedy.
Close family friend Abul Azad, 65, told The Sun at the special prayer service last night: “The father is in unbearable grief.
“He found out while walking along Brick Lane from a phone call from a friend.
“He immediately rushed down to Colchester. We don’t know how he got there, but he rushed there in a heartbeat.
“He explained what happened and was crying on the phone in complete disbelief and has been crying since.
“He is very close to me. He is like a son to me. I heard how he was feeling.
“Can you imagine his wife has died, his child has died, what can he say?
Around a dozen police cars were scrambled to the areaCredit: East Anglia News Service
Essex Police at the scene at West Mersea after reports of people struggling in the waterCredit: JOHN McLELLAN
“I have also been speaking the grandfather Mujib since it has happened and he has still been crying. He is heartbroken.”
Abul, who has known Dr Mansur Rahman for the majority of his life, added: “His wife is a hero. She jumped in to save them, that’s what they said. Can you imagine the bravery that takes?
“The other family members watched on and immediately called for help. What could they do? The grandmother is frail. It is horrible. They just had to call for help.
“They’re still in a state of stress. Mujib’s two daughters went with them, the mother of the boy in hospital and the mother who has died.
“It was a holiday they had planned. They were all enjoying themselves.
“This is very rare. But it has happened, and we have to pray for them.”
Abul continued: “Mujib the grandfather told me that they can’t see the body of the wife and the daughter because of the investigation.
“The body was taken away somewhere. The young boy, the 7 year old, he’s in London.
“But the young girl in hospital, they took her off the life machine this morning.
“They said one prayer, and then they took her off the machine.
“The father did not have a chance to say his final goodbyes. He is devastated.
“There is other family in Bangladesh. They might be coming for the funeral. We don’t know yet.
“The father still hasn’t seen the body. He just wants closure, but still can’t have it. I can’t imagine what he is going through.”
Abul added: “The father had a political party for the community. He was in politics for that. The family were involved because they cared for others.”
“They used to live round here as family, but when the moved to the other side of the community, they still did lots of community work.”
