A lawyer representing the families of five Sri Lankan friends who drowned on a day out to the beach, have blamed a shortage of lifeguards for the deaths as an inquest heard that they were all healthy and competent swimmers.
The men, Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18, known as Ken and his brother Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, 22, known as Kobi from Erith; Nitharsan Ravi, 22, of Plumstead; Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, of Grays in Essex and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, of Welling were all active sportsmen who often swam in the sea.
The brothers Ken and Kobi came to the UK when they were ten and 14 in July 2008. their father told The Times: “As a family we went to the beaches in the UK nearly every summer and the boys went without us sometimes.”
He added that Kobi, who was studying business at the University of Brighton loved Camber Sands and had visited the beach every year. Ravi, studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Brighton said he was also fit and could easily swim 100m. He reported that his son was chased by a group of youth a day before the incident and had incurred minor head injuries, but that had not played a part in his death.
An enquiry into their deaths was adjourned last November and the circumstances will be considered as part of the inquest into the five friends. Council officials have said that the beach can never be completely risk-free but they are determined to increase safety, the inquest continues.
