Victims of a tragic West Mersey beach accident were trying to help a boy.

A woman and her 15-year-old daughter died after they got into trouble in the water off an Essex beach while trying to help a seven-year-old boy, police said.

The child remains in a serious condition in hospital after the crash on West Mersey, near Colchester, on Wednesday evening. Three other people were taken to hospital.

The victims have been identified by their family members as 41-year-old Shali Rahman and teenager Samiha Rahman. All the people involved knew each other, police said.

Shali’s brother-in-law Matthir Rahman said the family was enjoying a beach holiday “when a big wave came and swept them away”.

But Mathier Rahman, who lived in Bradford, told the BBC from Bangladesh: “My whole family, we’re just talking.”

“We were shocked. We couldn’t explain (what happened).”

He said his niece was a “very nice person” and his father-in-law “a very important person”.