Pre-inquest review into five friends who died at Camber Sands on same day

A pre-inquest review will take place today into the deaths of five young friends who died during a day trip to the coast.

The men, who all lived in London, ran into difficulties at the popular Camber Sands beach near Hastings, East Sussex, on August 24.

They were: Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18, known as Ken, and his brother Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, 22, known as Kobi, both of Normandy Way, Erith, south-east London, and their friends Nitharsan Ravi, 22, of Admaston Road, Plumstead, south-east London, Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, of Chadwell Road, Grays, Essex, and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, of Elsa Road, Welling, south-east London.

A pre-inquest review into their deaths will be held at Aquila House in Hastings from 2pm. In the morning at the same venue, full inquests will be held into the deaths of two men who died around a month earlier.

Mohit Dupar got into difficulties at Camber Sands on the same day that 19-year-old Brazilian Gustavo Silva Da Cruz died there on July 24.

Mr Dupar, 36, from Hayes, Middlesex, died in hospital four days later but details about his death were only publicly revealed this week. It is understood the two men were not known to each other.

Pressure has been building to improve safety at Camber Sands, with more than 8,000 people signing a petition calling for lifeguards to be deployed there during the busy summer months.

Relatives of some of the five men who died in August criticised the lack of lifeguards and suggested they may have stood a chance of survival if the beach had been manned.

Despite there being no lifeguards, Rother District Council officials have said summer patrols advised people of potential dangers.

And they pointed out that Camber Sands has attracted people from outside the area unfamiliar with the sea and the dangers it poses.

A review is being carried out and options being considered include providing a lifeguard service.