'I just wanted them to survive': Couple tell of attempt to save drowning girl and mum

Craig and Carly Bowe, a couple from Hertfordshire, were on a day out with their children when they heard screams for help from a family in distress off an Essex formation on Wednesday. Despite the incoming tide, Craig entered the water three times in an attempt to pull the mother and her 15‑year‑old daughter to safety, while Carly contacted emergency services. “I just wanted them to survive,” Carly told the BBC. Their efforts, alongside those of other beachgoers and rescue teams, were unsuccessful; the 41‑year‑old mother and her daughter were pronounced dead at the scene. Two boys were also rescued and placed on a lifeboat; the seven‑year‑old was airlifted to hospital, where he remains in critical condition.