Five pals who drowned at Camber Sands were ‘fit and competent swimmers’, inquest hears
The men, all aged between 18 and 27, got into difficulty while at the popular beach in East Sussex on August 24 last year
FIVE young friends who drowned on a day trip to Camber Sands were "fit, healthy and competent" swimmers, an inquest heard.
The men, all aged between 18 and 27, got into difficulty while at the popular beach in East Sussex on August 24 last year.
The Sri Lanken friends, who were living in London, were keen sportsmen who had been to Camber Sands before without incident, the inquest in Hastings was told.
Relatives of the five men said in statements that they were all able swimmers who would often pack up and drive to the coast for day trips.
The five victims were Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18, known as Ken, and his brother Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, 22, known as Kobi, and their friends Nitharsan Ravi, 22,, Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27.
They had travelled to Camber on August 24 where two other people, Mohit Dupar, 36, and Gustavo Silva Da Cruz, 19, had died about a month before the tragedy.
In opening remarks, Patrick Roche, lawyer for the five victims' families, said Camber Sands - which can attract up to 30,000 day-trippers during peak season - is a beach with "hidden dangers".
He said: "The families are very keen for lessons to be learned and they are very keen that no one else suffers the same appalling tragedy as they have suffered."
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Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer recorded a cause of death of immersion (drowning) for all five victims.
In family statements, the inquest heard how the boys were all good swimmers and "physically fit".
Mr Ravi's father Nagaratnam said his "fit and healthy" son, a University of Brighton aeronautical engineering student, was a "competent swimmer" who could swim 100m easily.
The inquest heard that the day before he died, Mr Ravi was admitted to hospital with a head injury after allegedly being assaulted as he dispersed a group of teenagers from his family's shop four days earlier.
He reported feeling dizzy and confused but a CT scan found no abnormalities and he was discharged with advice to return if his symptoms persisted.
Before the inquest got under way, Ajirthan Ravi, the brother of Mr Ravi, said he believed the men would not have died if lifeguards had been deployed at Camber.
He said: "We are just hoping that it will be more secure and safer and more lifeguards, and that people are more protected."
Rother District Council agreed in February to allocate £51,000 in its 2017/18 budget to bring in seasonal lifeguard cover following demands for safety to be increased at Camber.
Council officials have said the beach, which is three miles long and nearly half-a-mile wide at low tide, could never be completely risk-free but they were determined to boost safety.
The inquest continues.