Three members of the same family who died after getting into difficulty in the sea off Shoreham have been named by police.

Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and Zeina Alayn, 37, and their 14-year-old daughter Sara El-Khawas are thought to have gone into the water near Shoreham Fort on Tuesday, Sussex Police said.

A younger girl from the same family, who was pulled from the water with them, remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Police said the family had travelled from their London home to visit Shoreham and after reviewing CCTV footage investigators say they believe the deaths were a tragic accident with no third-party involvement.

The Palestinian Forum said the family were British citizens of Palestinian origin, with roots in the Rashidieh refugee camp in Lebanon. Earlier, the Palestinian embassy in London told the BBC that Hassan El-Khawas had been a refugee.

Adnan Hmidan, chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, said the community was "deeply shocked and saddened" by what had happened.

He said two other children were on the shore at the time of the incident.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family, particularly the children, who are facing an unimaginable loss," he said.

The Palestinian Embassy in London said it was closely monitoring the incident and contacting British authorities to establish the circumstances and check on the condition of the girl in hospital.

A statement issued by the embassy sent condolences to the family and the UK's Palestinian community and wished the girl a speedy recovery.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned of the dangers of open water swimming after the incident, which he described as "a terrible family tragedy".

"The thing I can say today – and there is still, I think, a further heatwave to come in this summer period – it is just to remind people about the dangers of open water swimming," he said.

"The coldness, even when it feels hot outside, it can shock people and that can cause the difficulties. So people just need to remember that at all times.

"I do need to praise the emergency services who I know were on scene very quickly yesterday. They've had a busy summer but they were there and we thank them."

Ch Supt James Collis, of Sussex Police, said: "The events of Tuesday afternoon are a heartbreaking tragedy which has devastated a family and their friends and had a profound impact on the Shoreham community."

Emergency services were called shortly before 15:00 BST on Tuesday to reports of four people in trouble in the water near Shoreham.

Coastguard crews, RNLI lifeboats, air ambulances, police officers and ambulance teams were involved in the response.

After learning that three people in the same family had died, local shop owner Neha Patel said she was "still shaking" at what had happened.

"I think it's a shock to everyone around here," she said. "I hope the one girl in the hospital gets better."

Throughout the day people laid floral tributes near the beach where the tragedy unfolded.

Smith said: "Our kids were here the night before. It makes you realise how thankful we are that it wasn't one of them, but at the same time the sadness of another family that are now going to go through this."

The Good Shepherd church, close to the beach, opened its doors for reflection and prayer.

The Rev Jane Bartlett, associate vicar, said the church wanted to support the community "in whatever way we can".

Adur District Council chair, Julia Watts, said: "We obviously don't know the circumstances of how they got into difficulty but the sea will never be completely safe.

"Many of us swim every day weather permitting and for people to lose their lives on a warm day in August seems unfathomable."

Robina Baine, also an Adur councillor for the Southwick Green ward where the RNLI lifeboat station is, said: "I have been here for 46 years and this is the most tragic incident there has been."

Police inquiries are continuing and a file is being prepared for the coroner.

The deaths are among a number of fatal incidents on the coast in recent months, including several in Sussex.

In May, three sisters, Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, died in the sea off Brighton, in what police described as a "tragic incident".

In July, two men were pulled from the sea at West Wittering, and one of the men was confirmed dead at the scene, while the other was taken to hospital.

This month, an 18-year-old man died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Camber Sands. He had travelled to the coast from London with friends.

In Essex, Shelina Rahman, 41, and her 15-year-old daughter Sameeha Rahman, died after getting into difficulty in the water on the Essex coast at West Mersea, where they were trying to help a seven-year-old boy.

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