A day-tripper has told the BBC how he dived into the water to try to save a mother and daughter drowning off an Essex beach.

Craig Bowe, 42, battled the incoming tide at West Mersea, near Colchester, three times after hearing screams on Wednesday evening.

The kitchen fitter, who was on a day trip from Hertfordshire to celebrate his daughter’s 10th birthday, managed to haul Shally and Samiha Rahman from the waves and also helped a seven-year-old boy onto a lifeboat.

Despite his efforts, the pair – aged 41 and 15 – died in the desperate attempt to bring the boy to shore.

The boy, who became stranded during a family day out from Barking, east London, was airlifted to hospital and remained there in a critical condition on Friday.

Three others were taken by ambulance to another hospital after the incident unfolded at about 17:35 BST.

Bowe, from Northaw, sprang into action after hearing a man screaming in the water and seeing bodies floating.

“When I got there, the first two people I saw were actually face down, so [it was] more serious than I initially thought,” he told the BBC.

Bowe pulled Shally Rahman to shore where bystanders began administering CPR. He then dashed back out to sea to rescue her daughter.

Having done so, he then returned to the water to help load the seven-year-old boy and another child, who were about 150 yards (137m) out at sea, onto a lifeboat.

“I helped sort of shoo him onto the boat, because he was face down too… but the seven-year-old was not in a good way,” said Bowe, who was helped by an unnamed man.

“The waves were hitting me in the face. The current was definitely stronger.”

The BBC understands the boy may have been stranded on a sandbank when he was cut off from the shore.

Bowe’s wife, Carly, was among the group of people trying to resuscitate the mother and daughter on the sand.

“I just wanted them to survive and every bit of me was willing her to breathe,” she said.

The 43-year-old and her family arrived at the beach at about 11:00, and recalled seeing the victims having a “great time” together.

However, that came to an abrupt end with the sound of “hysterical” screaming about six hours later.

Bowe downplayed people calling him a hero and insisted it was a team effort.

His wife added: “Everybody on that beach that day played their part in giving that family the best chance they could to survive.

“Everyone really stepped up and it was incredible to see.”

Essex Police has urged any witnesses to come forward as its detectives piece together what happened.

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