A tragic double drowning that claimed the lives of a mum and her 15-year-old daughter happened on the same beach where a 30-year-old dad previously died while saving the life of his three-year-old son11:46, 24 Jul 2026Interview with family friend of a 15-year-old girl and her mother who died trying to save a seven-year-old relative on West Mersea beach.Local residents near a beach where a mum and a daughter drowned on a doomed day trip have told the Mirror it was a 'tragedy waiting to happen'.‌Samiha Rahman, 15, and her mother Shally Rahman, 41, from Ilford, London, died after getting into difficulty at West Mersea Beach on Mersea Island, Essex on Wednesday night.‌The pair were "not very good swimmers" and were just on a "day out" at the beach, a family friend said.‌Essex Police said officers were called by the ambulance service at 5.35pm on Wednesday after reports that several people had got into difficulty in the water.The force has since confirmed that the mother and daughter, from London, were believed to be trying to help a seven-year-old relative, who is in hospital in a critical condition. Two others were rescued at the scene.‌It follows a previous drowning in 2023 and years of local concerns over whether enough warnings and safety measures are in place along the beach.'Suddenly a big wave came'Eyewitnesses said the group were on a sandbank when the tide came in "very quickly", leaving several people in the water.Speaking to the BBC, Shally Rahman’s brother in law, Matiur Rahman, said about 10 members of his extended family were near the water playing when "suddenly a big wave came".‌Mr Rahman said: "My whole family – we are speechless. We can’t believe what we heard from my brother."We are very shocked."The East of England Ambulance Service initially said that one patient was transported by air and three taken by road to hospital after the incident in the water near Sea View Holiday Park.‌Locals come to the rescueLocal people raced to help the family after hearing a "commotion" on the beach - including one man who reportedly pulled several people from the water, and a group of three teenage waitresses who were among the first on the scene.Describing the efforts of her great-niece Leonie Powling, 19, and 18-year-old friend Keira French, Seaview Beach Diner owner Melanie Shuker, 64, said: "The girls had heard people shouting for help on the beach. Two girls ran into the café, quite hysterical, and asked if anybody could help them. All four of the girls here, aged 16 to 19, went to the water's edge where a man had pulled, I believe, five people from the water.‌"One of the girls who works here called emergency services and pinpointed the exact location for them to attend. Between them, they took one of the girls over and banged her on the back until she brought up seaweed, which was quite traumatising for them."I'm so proud of them all for coping; it's the first time they've had to deal with something like that."Their mums were called to support them, and they then went home. Later, a local paramedic I know asked if we could use the premises for the paramedics and air ambulance crews to debrief. It took an hour and a half, so I left them to it because it's private."‌Not the first tragedy at 'dangerous' beach spotMelissa French, 53, who works at the same café, described the incident as a "tragedy waiting to happen" - and said residents had long called for better signage and life saving equipment along West Mersea Beach.The drownings on Wednesday night took place not far from where 30-year-old father David Cole drowned in 2023 while saving the life of his three-year-old son.‌Mrs French said: "There's a drop on either side, so if you step down, all of a sudden you go from standing on a sandbank to being up to here in water. It's a tragedy waiting to happen."If there are two known sandbanks, why are there no warning signs or flags to say 'do not swim in this area'? Because both of those have been where people were on sandbanks or people just don't know the water."If you stand on them sandbanks it's softening, once you get off that it's so deep and then you get stuck in the mud you're in trouble. It's like a vacuum, and if you don't know how to get out of it, you're in real trouble.‌"If you're in a rip tide you're meant to swim parallel to the shore. But again, there's no signage."A spokesperson for Colchester Council said "decisions on water safety measures" are "informed by professional risk assessments and advice from specialist organisations".The statement added: "As part of our risk assessment process for the site, the council commissioned an independent RLSS UK beach risk assessment in March 2026, which did not recommend the installation of public rescue equipment within the assessed area of West Mersea beach.‌"The assessment concluded that, due to factors including the beach profile, tidal range and lateral currents, public rescue equipment would be unlikely to be deployed effectively in an emergency and was therefore not recommended on that stretch of coastline."We continue to work closely with partner organisations through the Mersea Water Safety Forum, a multi-agency partnership that brings together organisations with expertise and responsibilities in water safety."Together, the forum assesses local risks and develops and implements measures to help improve safety in and around the water."‌Mirror's Save Lives for Sam campaignTomorrow is World Drowning Prevention Day - and the Mirror is continuing its fight for 'Sam's Law' and mandatory water safety education to stop more families losing their loved ones.Launched in June after a devastating spike in water-related deaths during the heatwave, the Mirror's Save Lives for Sam campaign is named in honour of Sam Haycock, a 16-year-old boy who tragically drowned at Ulley Reservoir in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in May 2021.Article continues belowA total of 29 people drowned in open water in May and June this year alone, and 10 so far in July.