The father of two brothers from Erith who drowned at Camber Sands along with three friends has said there should have been a lifeguard on duty.

Satthiyanathan Arumukam, 51, the father of brothers Ken, 18, and Kobi Saththiyanathan, 22, of Normandy Way, said his children could not swim.

The pair died along with three friends while playing in the sea on Wednesday - the hottest day of the year so far.

Their dad told The Sun that his sons would have had a chance at survival if there had been lifeguards on the beach.

Mr Arumukam said: "I brought my children from Sri Lanka because it is not safe back there."

"But there were no lifeguards on the beach where they died.

"If there had been my sons would have at least had a fighting chance of survival."

Mr Arumukam's sons died alongside three other men - all aged in their late teens and early 20s and from south-east London.

The men, who have been named by police, include 22-year-old Plumstead student Nitharsan Ravi, Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, from Essex and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27 of Elsa Road, Welling.

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Nitharsan Ravi from Plumstead. Picture: PA/PA Wire.

The friends were said to have gotten into difficulty after playing football on a sandbank while the tide was out.

It is believed Ken and Inthushan became trapped underwater after falling into a deep patch, before the other three tried to save their friends.

The men were thought to have been dragged underwater by a strong rip current which caused them to drown.

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The brother of Nitharsan said attempts to save their friends failed and Kurushanth was brought out first and declared dead straight away.

He said: "My bro and Kobi had heartbeats and managed to survive for a few minutes but after first aid they couldn't recover."

Both died within 15 minutes after being pulled from the water, he said.

The bodies of Ken Nathan and Inthushan Sri were discovered later that evening, he said, adding that he thought they had got their legs caught in the "slippery mud" and sand on the sea bottom.

An online petition started a month ago to campaign for lifeguards at Camber has reached more than 3,600 signatures.

Resident Emily Van Eyssen, 44, said the need for lifeguards was long overdue.

A spokesman for Rother District Council said that, despite there being no lifeguards, there were summer patrols to advise people of potential dangers.

The five men had gone to the coast for a day trip, according to Sussex Police, as investigations continued into what caused their deaths.

It was feared a sixth person was missing, but there was no search operation on Thursday and day-trippers were continuing to arrive on the beach.

Chief Superintendent Di Roskilly said: "These men were not fully clothed when they were pulled from the sea, but wearing clothes appropriate for being at the beach for the day.

"We have no further reports of anyone else missing from Camber and there are no ongoing searches related to this incident.

"This has been an incredibly tragic incident and we are offering their next of kin support at this difficult time and our thoughts are with them."