Camber Sands tragedy: drowning victims named

The five men, who drowned off Camber Sands in East Sussex yesterday, were all from London’s Sri Lankan community and had known each other since they were small children, according to the Daily Mail.

Three friends drowned trying to save two other pals who got into difficulty off Camber Sands.

Kenigan Nathan, 19, and Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, became trapped in quicksand under the water and the other three swam over to try and rescue them, the brother of one of the victims revealed.

The five best friends - including two brothers - who drowned off Camber Sands in East Sussex after being dragged away by a vicious rip tide on the hottest day of the year.

Sriskantharasa, Kenigan - known as Ken - and his brother Kobi Nathan, 22, Nitharsan Ravi, 22, and Kurushanth Srithavarajah, 26, were on a day trip from London when they were cut off from the incoming tide while playing football on an offshore sand bar. A strong rip tide stopped them swimming back to land.

Mr Ravi said: ‘Ken and Inthushan got stuck under the water in the mud and sand and his three friends went under the water to try and save them.

‘But all five of them got into difficulty and sadly died. Kurushanth was brought out dead first but my brother Nitharsan and Kobi were brought out afterwards.

‘They both had a pulse for 15 minutes while paramedics tried to save them.

‘Ken and Indu then came out at 8pm because they were underneath the water and the emergency services didn’t know they were there.

‘They got stuck under the water, their legs were sucked in like quicksand. Their legs got caught.’ 

Three victims were pulled from the sea off the East Sussex beach yesterday afternoon and emergency services tried and failed to revive them in front of thousands of horrified holidaymakers.

Two more bodies - also wearing shorts and T-shirts - were found washed up by a walker as the tide went out later in the evening.

Last month a Brazilian national, Gustavo Silva Da Cruz, 19, died in the water off Camber Sands and two others had to be rescued after being caught by a tide and strong winds.

Mr Ravi’s sister Mayura said: ‘Now it’s been blocked. Why didn’t they do it before? They could have saved five other lives.’

Nitharsan Ravi, 22, from Plumstead in south-east London, worked in a Tesco supermarket and studied at the University of Brighton studying aeronautical engineering . 

Keen footballer and cricketer Kurushanth Srithavarajah, 26, who was known as ‘Kuru’ to his friends, worked in a Tesco Express for the past six years and studied at Newham University Centre. He would have been 27 two days later.

Kenigan Nathan, from Slade Green, was the youngest victim and was a former Bexleyheath Academy student. 

His brother Kobi, also from Slade Green died alongside close  friend Inthushan Sriskantharasa, from Plumstead, the first named victim of yesterday’s tragedy.

Nitharson’s brother Ajirthan said: ‘My brother was very sporty. He was educationally motivated. He always spoke of being an engineer.

‘He was at Brighton University studying aeronautical engineering. He was about to start his second year but obviously now this has happened.

Ajirthan, who also has a sister, 17, said his parents Ravi and Ranjini were to distraught to speak today.

He said: ‘They have lost their eldest son. They are so upset. We still feel he is around us, beside us.’

The family were told about the tragedy when police knocked on their door last night at 11pm. The family had an agonising 5 hour wait until his death was confirmed.

He said: ‘Police came over last night and wanted to know whose car it was (at the beach). We were so disheartened. We couldn’t think clearly. At 4am he was declared dead.’

He added: ‘We are distraught. Our thoughts go to all the parents. My brother knew Kurushanth through sport. They played football and cricket together.

‘He had been friends with Kobi since secondary school. They were very close. They also went to university together.

‘Kobi’s and Ken’s parents have lost both their children. I’m devastated for everyone. I knew all the men. They were good innocent people who have lost their lives.

‘They had just gone down for a day at the beach, like normal people. And unfortunately this happened.’ 

Despite 25,000 people being on the beach yesterday, it has no permanent lifeguards.

He said: ‘A five minutes delay caused this death toll I recommend there to be a reliable lifeguard. A lifeguard could have saved their lives’. 

His uncle Kugan Gianarathinam said: ‘There needs to be more lifeguards at Camber Sands. They say it’s one of the safest beaches in Britain but it’s a lie, Nitharsan and his friends are dead. They also need to put up more signs warning of the dangers. It is not safe for anybody.’ 

MailOnline asked Sussex Police why they think the men got into trouble and said it formed part of their investigation but the cause of death is ‘a matter for the coroner’. 

Witnesses said the first three dead men - who are believed to originally be from Sri Lanka - did not appear to have any family or friends with them and may have travelled together from London. 

Their clothes led to speculation that the victims could be illegal immigrants - but a police source said that the investigation is at an early stage and ‘there is currently nothing to suggest the men were migrants’. 

Chief Superintendent Di Roskilly said the men were all ‘wearing clothes appropriate for being at the beach’ when they died and ‘came together for the day’.

She said: ‘We believe they are all in their late teens and early 20s and come from the Greater London area. We have no further reports of anyone else missing from Camber and there are no on-going searches related to this incident.

‘This has been an incredibly tragic incident and we are offering their next of kin support at this difficult time and our thoughts are with them.’ 

Source: Daily Mail Online 

-Agencies