The family of an 11-year-old brother and his 13-year-old sister swept away in the sea off Spain have spoken of their nightmare.
Ameiya, 13, and her 11-year-old brother, Ricardo Junior, from Erdington, Birmingham, died at sea during a family holiday in Salou.
Their father had to be rescued himself in high winds as he desperately tried to save his children.
Emergency services were called shortly after 8.45pm on July 29, Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency said.
Despite the best efforts of emergency services at the scene, the siblings died at the scene.
The brother and sister have been described by loved ones as ‘beautiful’ and ‘bright’.
Kayla Jasvinder Del-Brocco, the children’s aunt, told BirminghamLive that her niece and nephew came into trouble in the water and were swept away from the beach by powerful currents.
‘They went out to swim together with their dad as they loved the beach,’ said Kayla.
‘Mum said ‘don’t be long’ and took her little one to the bathroom.
‘She came back out and couldn’t see anyone. That’s when the nightmare commenced.’
Kayla said Ameiya was ‘athletic, driven, motherly with her siblings, sarcastic and unique’.
‘Ricardo Junior was kind, loving and helpful,’ she said.
‘He wanted to be a YouTuber and would do anything for a few quid. He doted on his mum.’
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Ameiya and Ricardo Junior’s parents so that they can bring their children home.
It has been set up by Ameiya and Ricardo’s cousin Holly Marquis-Johnson.
Holly said: ‘During what was meant to be a joyful family holiday in Salou, Spain, Ameiya and Ricardo Junior, lovingly known to their family and friends as Maya and Jubs, heartbreakingly lost their lives in a tragic incident at sea.
‘Two beautiful, bright, and deeply loved children, taken far too soon. The pain their family is feeling is unimaginable.
‘This fundraiser has been created to help ease some of the financial burden the family is now facing, covering the costs of bringing Maya and Jubs home to the UK and giving them the dignified farewell they deserve.
‘We know that no amount of money can make this right. But together, we can help carry some of the weight.’
One of the officers who jumped into the water explained that the current was so strong that the boy and the girl were ripped 100m away from each other even though they entered the sea in the same place.
Giving his name as Younes A, he told DiariTots21: ‘A hotel worker was trying to get one of the three out of the sea when we arrived.
‘We took off our belts with our clothes and threw ourselves into the sea.
‘We were told when we helped get that person out that another two people were in the sea who could be minors.
‘We tried to locate them, saw bits of clothes and seconds later were able to locate and get a young girl out of the water and began resuscitation and another police force was the one responsible for getting the other child out of the sea.
‘When the emergency services arrived they took over the efforts to save them until they said they couldn’t do anything more.
‘We don’t know the circumstances leading up to them getting into difficulties.
‘I leapt into the water with two other colleagues to get the father to safety first before going back to rescue one of the children.’
He added: ‘There were waves and wind. It was dangerous. There was a lot of swell.’
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