Tributes have been paid to two British siblings who drowned on holiday in Spain after pleading with their family to go for ‘one last swim’.
Ameiya, 13 and Ricardo del Brocco, 11, known as Maya and Jubs, died on their ‘first big holiday abroad’ after going to the resort of Salou on their summer holidays.
The two siblings, from Birmingham, had been staying with their parents near the four-star Hotel Best Necresgo in Salou, located just metres from the ocean on the popular Llarga Beach.
A family member said it was the siblings' first "big holiday abroad."
Known by loved ones as Maya and Jubs, they drowned in front of their horrified parents Shanice and Ricardo Snr.
Their father, who was also in the water with his children, was rescued alive and was reported to have made a desperate attempt to save them.
Shanice's sister Macalia Del Brocco, 46, said: "She (Shanice) came back out (from the toilet), she couldn't see any of them. At that point, she panicked.
"And it was at that point the police arrived and things started happening. Then it hit what was happening. It was obviously the children that were in the water."
In an tribute, Macalia described Ricardo, 11, as the "softest, sweetest, gentlest boy you could wish to meet", saying he "loved the idea of being a YouTuber when he was older".
She added that Ameiya, 13, who was into athletics and fashion, was a "unique character" and acted as a "second mother" to her younger siblings.
Her friend has set up a GoFundMe page to help support the family.
The family is now waiting for the children’s bodies to be flown back to the UK, which could take two weeks.
The children were swept out to sea after getting into difficulty in the water – but they became overwhelmed by the rough conditions and there were no lifeguards at the beach after 8pm.
The alarm was raised just before 8.50pm and police rushed to the scene.
Rescue crews recovered Ricardo Snr and Amelia from the water and Ricardo Jnr was helicoptered to hospital.
Ricardo Sir had ‘swallowed a lot of water’ but medics were able to resuscitate him. Ameiya and Ricardo Jnr could not be saved.
Shanice’s sister Macalia told the Daily Mail: “Ricardo is feeling, obviously, very pained because he was in the water with them, so that's going to be hitting him hard.
“That's not going to disappear from his mind. It's going to be a lot of trauma mentally for him to deal with.
“But families pull together, and there will be support all the way around.
She said the hotel 'have been absolutely beautiful' in helping support their four younger children.
“Hotel staff have been coming in and collecting the children and taking them down to the club and discos keep them occupied and just keep it normal holiday for them.
“So it still feels holiday-esque for the little ones, even though we know that it's not quite that.”
Macalia said the oldest of the four younger siblings, six-year-old Casius, told her: "Did you know Maya and Jubs are in heaven now? Juby went to heaven in a helicopter".
A GoFundMe set up by a family friend described Maya and Jubs as 'beautiful, bright, and deeply loved' children who had been taken 'far too soon'.
In a heartbreaking online tribute, it said: “Nothing could ever prepare a parent for the pain of losing a child let alone losing two.
“During what was meant to be a joyful family holiday in Salou, Spain, Ameiya and Ricardo Junior, lovingly known to their family and friends as Maya and Jubs, heartbreakingly lost their lives in a tragic incident at sea.
“Two beautiful, bright, and deeply loved children, taken far too soon. The pain their family is feeling is unimaginable.
“Maya was intelligent, thoughtful, and growing into a strong young woman. Ricardo Junior was playful, kind, and always smiling. They brought so much love, laughter, and energy into the lives of everyone around them.
“Their absence has left an unbearable silence not just for their parents, but for their whole family, who were incredibly close and shared an unbreakable bond.”
The 112 emergency service operator first received a call at 8.47pm, sparking and large response and saw paramedics from the Medical Emergency System being sent to the scene alongside a team of psychologists to assist the grieving family.
Catalonia's Civil Protection said in a statement: "The father of the minors, who had also entered the water, was rescued alive.
"The emergency telephone number 112 received the warning at 8.47pm. Seven land units of the Medical Emergency System (SEM) intervened in the incident, as well as a team of psychologists activated by the same service to assist the relatives."
"These are the 15th and 16th fatalities on Catalan beaches since the summer campaign officially began on June 15, a figure that already exceeds by five those registered in the same period last summer (11).
"There was a father with his son and daughter, of British nationality."When they got out, both of them, the boy and girl, aged 11 and 13, showed no signs of life."Attempts were made to resuscitate them with CPR, but they were unsuccessful.
"The father, fortunately, was able to be saved. He had swallowed a lot of water, he was exhausted, very fatigued, but the father was able to be saved thanks to the emergency services."
The GoFundMe page for Ameiya and Ricardo can be found here.
