The heartbroken family of two British siblings who drowned on holiday in Spain have told how their pleas for ‘one last swim’ turned to tragedy.
Ameiya, 13, and 11-year-old Ricardo Del Brocco – known affectionately as Maya and Jubs – were enjoying their ‘first big holiday abroad’ as a family, having jetted off to the Spanish resort of Salou to mark the start of the summer holidays last week.
Mother Shanice and father Ricardo Snr, both 31, had booked a stay with their six children at the four-star Hotel Best Necresgo located just metres from the ocean on the popular Llarga Beach.
Ameiya, who had a love for fashion and athletics, and Ricardo and dreamt of becoming a Youtuber when he was older, had visited Salou with their parents five years earlier and were keen to return, this time as a family of eight.
On Tuesday, they were nearing the end of their trip and had been enjoying a day at the beach when their dream vacation turned into a nightmare.
As the evening drew to a close, Shanice was preparing to leave the beach and return to the hotel, but both Ameiya and Ricardo were keen to have one last dip in the ocean.
Ricardo Snr agreed to watch over them, while Shanice left the trio to take one of her children to the toilet, accompanied by the three other youngsters. Upon returning to the beach, she was unable to spot Ricardo or the two kids and panic began to set in.
Shanice’s sister Macalia Del Brocco, 46 – whose friend has set up a GoFundMe page to help support her family following the tragedy – told the Daily Mail about the desperate battle to save them that ensued just moments later.
Ricardo and Ameiya – known affectionately as Jubs and Maya – drowned in the sea while on holiday in Spain. This picture of them on the beach was taken moments before they died
Siblings Ameiya and Ricardo (pictured) were enjoying their ‘first big holiday abroad’ when they tragically drowned at sea
Ameiya, 13, and Ricardo, 11, pictured on holiday with their mother Shanice and four siblings aged 11 months, three, five and six
‘She came back out, 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,’ Macalia said. ‘Then it hit what was happening. It was obviously the children that were in the water.’
They had been pulled out to sea after getting into difficulty in the water, with Ricardo Snr having dived in to try and save them.
But all three soon became overwhelmed by the rough conditions, with no lifeguards present on the beach after 8pm. The alarm was raised just before 8.50pm and police were called to the scene.
Moments later rescue crews managed to recover Ricardo Snr and Ameiya from the water, while Ricardo Jnr was helicoptered to hospital.
The father and daughter were taken into the hotel where the family were staying, and medics desperately tried to keep them alive.
Ricardo Snr had swallowed ‘a lot of water and was exhausted’ but medics were miraculously able to resuscitate him. Sadly Ameiya nor Ricardo Jnr could not be saved.
Ricardo was described by his aunt as being the ‘softest, sweetest, gentlest boy you could wish to meet’, adding he ‘loved the idea of being a YouTuber when he was older’.
As for Ameiya, she was described as a ‘unique character’ who was intelligent and athletic and acted as a ‘second mother’ to her younger siblings.
Ameiya pictured here with her father Ricardo Snr and baby brother Exodus
Ricardo Jnr pictured with two of his younger siblings
Macalia explained that while rescuers responded to the crisis, Shanice was kept in the dark and was prevented from seeing Ricardo and Ameiya while they were being treated in the hotel.
‘All the time Shan wasn’t told anything. So she was she was just kept in the dark.
‘Shan wasn’t allowed to see any of them even though they were in the hotel. So she’s been isolated, not being told anything, but just to wait.
‘In the meantime, she’s phoned home, phoned all of us and told us all what’s happening.
‘She was obviously in a panic on her own with the four little ones, not with anyone that can support her in any way whatsoever.
‘We’re all rallying around here trying to find out anything, and we can’t. We can’t find anything out, and then we’re just waiting.
‘Then we get that sad call. We get the news that they’ve gone.
‘Ricardo Snr was ok. He managed to be revived and is still with us. But the young ones had gone sadly.’
Ameiya pictured with her mother Shanice while on holiday in Spain
Brother and sister Ameiya and Ricardo Junior sat waiting for a flight at the airport. The pair were said to adore each other
Medics were supposedly trying to save Ricardo Snr and Ameiya for around an hour and a half. For Shanice, the whole ordeal felt like a blur.
After receiving news of their deaths, the mother was told she wasn’t able to see their bodies until 12pm the next day.
But then, when the time came, she was again prevented from seeing her two children.
‘She wasn’t allowed to see them again because the paperwork wasn’t sorted. They hadn’t finished the autopsies and their side of logistics with forensics,’ Macalia said.
‘She had just managed to see them today (Thurs). My sister and my mum flew out last night to be with her, the kids and Ricardo for a bit of support.
‘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.’
Ameiya and Ricardo Junior pictured with three of their four younger siblings
Ricardo Junior is pictured getting ready to board a plane alongside his siblings Casius, six, Cleopatra, five, Asher, three, baby brother Exodus and mother Shanice
The family is now waiting for their bodies to be flown back to the UK, which Macalia said could take up to two weeks.
‘We’ve spoken to the embassy, and the embassy said it could take up to 15 days for the total process to get them home. So that’s 15 days of them being out there, still in another country, with half their family missing and us not being there with them.’
While her family are still miles away, Shanice told her sister 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 recalled a conversation she had with the oldest of the four younger siblings, six-year-old Casius, days after his siblings’ deaths.
‘He told me: «Did you know Maya and Jubs are in heaven now? Juby went to heaven in a helicopter».
‘So that’s his understanding of it, which is bittersweet, because that was what he saw. And it’s beautiful that he thinks that’s what happened, but very sadly tragic at the same time.’
The siblings were described as ‘beautiful, bright, and deeply loved’ children who had been taken ‘far too soon’
Ameiya and Ricardo seen in a heartwarming family photo as smiling youngsters
In a heartwarming tribute to the siblings, Macalia described their inseparable bond and adoration for another.
‘They would fight like cat and dog at times, but they adored each other.
‘Maya was about to go into year nine. Very, very bright girl, even when we think she’s not doing her homework, she obviously is, because her report we got at the end of summer was amazing.
‘She is very, very athletic. Very determined individual. When she wanted something she was adamant she was going to get it. She was very as a character, she was very sarcastic and humorous.
‘She she was quite unique in that she had quite an old head on her shoulders in regards to her humor.
‘She loved fashion. Absolutely loved fashion. She wasn’t scared to wear clothes that nobody else wanted to wear, and she wasn’t scared to express herself freely.
‘She loved being out there. It was quite beautiful to watch her develop.
‘She was the second mum in the house. She was a second mum to the little ones. You frequently see pictures where she’s got one of the little ones on her hip, or she’s cuddling up with one of the other little ones.
‘She loved her siblings. She was she was quite doting with all of them.
Ricardo is seen here posing on a rock next to the beach. He was described by his aunt as the ‘softest, sweetest, gentlest boy you could wish to meet’
‘Ricardo just finished year seven, and it would have been his birthday on the 10th of August. He would have been 12, which is now going to be a really, really sad time.
‘He was a really loving character. The softest, sweetest, gentlest boy you could wish to meet. Everybody loved him. You couldn’t not love Ricardo.
‘He loved the idea of being a YouTuber when he was older. That was his thing.
‘Junior loved doing odd jobs. Frequently in the neighbor’s garden, doing her hedges for her, just to earn a few extra quid. He was quite the Dell Boy.
‘They have got a lot of cousins that miss them. They are well loved.
‘We’re a very tight family, and they’re going to be missed.’
Friends and relatives have also been left in shock by the tragedy, which has sent ripples through their local community in Birmingham.
The GoFundMe page set up by Ms Marquis-Johnson described Maya and Jubs as ‘beautiful, bright, and deeply loved’ children who had been taken ‘far too soon’.
The helicopter is seen hovering above the water close to the Hotel Best Necresgo where the family had been staying
Footage published locally showed a helicopter flying above the beach where a white tent had been erected on the sand to shield the bodies of the two children
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.’
It continued: ‘Their mum and dad, Shanice and Ricardo, are absolutely heartbroken. But they’re not grieving alone. Their siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, grandparents, and close friends are all devastated by this loss.
‘Maya and Jubs were surrounded by a family who adored them, and who are now left trying to make sense of life without them.’
The appeal adds: ‘This fundraiser has been created to help ease some of the financial burden the family is now facing – covering the costs of bringing Maya and Jubs home to the UK, giving them the dignified farewell they deserve, and supporting their parents and loved ones during this incredibly painful time.
The four-star Hotel Best Necresgo in Salou, where the family were staying on holiday
‘We know that no amount of money can make this right. But together, we can help carry some of the weight. If you’re able to donate, even a small amount, or simply share this page, it would mean the world. Every act of kindness, every share, every kind word truly helps.
‘Please keep Maya, Jubs, Shanice, Ricardo, and their entire family in your hearts as they face the unimaginable. Thank you so much for your support.’
By Friday morning, the fundraiser had reached almost £18,000 – soaring past its £15,000 target with over 800 donations.
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities say a full investigation is under way into the circumstances that led up to the tragedy.
Chief Inspector José Luis Gargallo, from the local police, said on Wednesday the initial 112 call received pointed to three people drowning.
He said: ‘Local police rushed to the scene and saw that there were indeed three people who were really struggling to get out of the water.
‘It was a father with his son and his daughter, all British.
‘When the youngsters, the boy and girl aged 11 and 13, were brought out of the water they had no vital signs and all the resuscitation efforts to save them proved unsuccessful.
The hotel is seen in an aerial shot just metres from the ocean on the popular Llarga Beach
‘The father could be saved. He had swallowed a lot of water and he was exhausted but could be saved thanks to the intervention of the emergency medical responders and police.
‘We’re talking about a family with five children and the mum was in the nearby hotel where they were staying with the other three children.
‘The father was with the two children that died.
‘All day a yellow flag had been out at that beach so there was a danger of a stormy sea which is why the yellow flag was out.
‘When the tragedy happened the sea was the same as two or three hours before so it was a stormy sea.
‘That’s why you have to be careful with the sea. The beach where this happened 99 per cent of the time offers perfect bathing conditions, it’s a very calm sea normally.
‘Yesterday it wasn’t like that at this beach or at other beaches in the area. Just a few hours earlier another person had died in very similar conditions.’
He added: ‘The lifeguards are on duty at the beach where these British youngsters died until 8pm. They start work at 9.30am.
The hotel boasts a huge pool surrounded by dozens of reclining sun loungers and exotic palm trees
‘Unfortunately this alert came in at 8.48pm so 48 minutes after the lifeguard service had finished.
‘This has been an accident but as always with these sorts of accidents, a thorough investigation will take place to see if there are things that can be improved and if they can there will be improvements.’
The authorities said the deaths marked the 15th and 16th fatalities on Catalan beaches since the summer campaign officially began on June 15.
The figure ‘already exceeds by five those registered in the same period last summer’.
Last summer, 11 deaths were reported on Catalan beaches.
– The GoFundMe page launched by family friend Holly Marquis-Johnson is available here:
