An Irishwoman, her husband and their two children have drowned on holiday in Kenya.
Ms Elizabeth Pathak (37), her British husband Kiran (42), their eight-year-old son Neil and five-year-old daughter, whose name had not been established, had just begun a holiday at the Indian Beach Club in the resort of Diani Beach, 20 miles south of Mombasa, when the fishing boat in which they were travelling was capsized by a freak wave on Saturday morning.
The Pathaks had hired a 29-ft boat to take them on a fishing trip on the Indian Ocean. The boat was understood to be equipped with life jackets. However by 11 a.m. rising winds had forced them back towards land, said Mr Mario Scianna, a diving instructor who led the rescue effort.
The boat engines stalled as it attempted to cross a coral reef about a mile from land, then an unusually strong wave knocked it over, flinging its crew and passengers into the sea.
The captain and his two-man crew managed to cling to the upturned vessel and were rescued, as were two other child passengers, but the Pathak family was swept away by a succession of waves breaking over the reef.
The bodies of Elizabeth, Kiran and Neil Pathak were later recovered from the sea and were taken to Diani Beach hospital, where drowning was confirmed as the cause of death. Their eight-year-old daughter remained missing yesterday afternoon.
Mr Scianna said: "I fear that we may not even recover her body."
The search was called off in the morning due to low tide and fishing boats were put on alert about the missing child.
The Pathak family arrived in Diani Beach just two days earlier, said Mr Peter Mukulu, general manager of the hotel where they had been staying.
Neel Chandaria (12) and his brother Shiv (10) had befriended the Pathak children the previous day and were invited on to the fishing trip.
They jumped clear of the boat when it capsized and Neel, who is the swimming captain of his Nairobi school, managed to swim towards the shore and raise the attention of passing fishermen. Both boys were rescued and made a full recovery.
They returned home to Nairobi with their mother yesterday morning.
Relatives of Mr Pathak travelled from Nairobi to the scene of the tragedy yesterday. They declined to comment until the arrival of Ms Pathak's relatives from Ireland today.
Boating accidents are relatively rare on the Kenyan coast, where thousands of tourists enjoy a range of marine pursuits ranging from diving to fishing to island-hopping in ancient dhows or Arabic-style sailing boats.
Weather conditions are most unstable in July and August, however, which also coincides with the high season for European tourists.
Mr Scianna said that worsening weather on Saturday morning prompted him to recall two of his boats from diving trips, just half an hour before the accident.
"The winds can be rough at this time of year. Even if there is sunshine, the sea is very strong," he said.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs last night confirmed that two Irish citizens, a woman and an eight-year-old child, and the woman's British husband, had drowned in Kenya, and that a five-year-old Irish child was still missing. Kenyan navy divers are continuing their search.