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    Teen girls who drowned off Coney Island ID’d as sisters who were ‘just gonna have their last swim,’ family says

    By Tina Moore, Marie Pohl, Claire Samstag, Patrick Reilly,

    15 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1sJdWz_0uH5WUOS00

    Two teenage girls who drowned off Coney Island over Fourth of July weekend were sisters who had just jumped into the ocean for their last swim of the day when they vanished, heartbroken family members told The Post.

    Aisha Mohammed, 18, and Zainab Mohammed, 17, of the Bronx were reported missing around 8:10 p.m. Friday near Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn by a caller who said they “entered the water and disappeared from view,” a police spokesman said.

    The teens were found on the shoreline at 9:15 p.m. and rushed to Coney Island Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, the NYPD said.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4CdiJL_0uH5WUOS00
    Aisha Mohammed, 18, and Zainab Mohammed, 17, of the Bronx were reported missing around 8:10 p.m. Friday near Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn. Acquired by the NY Post

    “They were just trying to have fun out there,” the girls’ uncle Tahir Mohammed, 48, told The Post. “They thought they were just gonna have their last swim and come out.”

    It was only their second time going to the beach, Julia Mohammad added.

    Outside their grandmother’s home in the Bronx on Saturday, around a dozen family members and friends gathered outside of the building, many bringing food and drinks.

    Aisha and Zainab’s mother, Tani Ibrahim Ali, was upstairs in the apartment grieving.

    New mom drowns, brother-in-law arrested for OWI after tragic July 4th boating accident

    “She can’t speak, she’s beside herself,” Tahir Mohammed said.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=49FHge_0uH5WUOS00
    The teenage sisters were pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital. Wayne Carrington

    Another cousin, Julia Mohammed, 20, said that Aisha saw her younger sister Zaina struggling in the ocean and went in to help.

    One of their male cousins jumped in the water to help but was unable to save the sisters.

    They were hanging out with a group of about 12 other people enjoying a sunny day at the popular beach when the skies suddenly opened up in a heavy downpour, cousin Adam Mohammed said.

    He had just changed and was returning to the group when he spotted the girls being swept out to sea in a strong current with his brother swimming after them.

    2 teenage girls drown off Coney Island: police

    His brother “didn’t know who to help first. He reached for the one closest to him and she started panicking, so she started dragging him down with her,” he said.

    “By the time he managed to get to the surface, the two were long gone.”

    Aisha was the family hair stylist, Julia said, and had just started working at Panera Bread. Zainab worked in child care.

    Nadia Sadat, 17, a high school student and friend of the sisters said she was so upset she hasn’t been able to eat.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3m1aiE_0uH5WUOS00
    Aisha and Zainab Mohammed drowned off Coney Island over Fourth of July. Wayne Carrington

    “It really hurt me that they really died. I wish I was with them, too, because I’m so sad to lose my friends and stuff,” she said.

    The Mohammeds are originally from Ghana, though the girls’ parents have been in the city for decades and the teenagers were born here.

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    One of the girls’ other sisters, who did not wish to be named, said there would be a memorial service on Monday or Tuesday.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Vk1oA_0uH5WUOS00
    Zainab, 17, and Aisha, 18, were reported missing around 8:10 p.m. Friday by a caller who said they “entered the water and disappeared from view.” Wayne Carrington

    Lifeguards at the beach are on duty between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the city’s Department of Parks.

    Swimming is not allowed outside of those hours.

    The sisters’ deaths brought the total number of drownings so far this summer in the city to four.

    Two teenage boys were swept away off Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways, Queens, on June 21 and later found dead.

    The bodies of Elyjha Chandler, 16, and Christian Perkins, 17, were found June 29 near where they disappeared.

    “This has been consistent ever since summer happened,” Tahir Mohammed said.

    “This is the fourth or whatever downing that they’ve had at the beach, and I think they need to do more. Something has to be done. Even if they have to ban people from swimming, they have to do something.”

    For the latest metro stories, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/metro/

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