THE BROTHER of one of the Camber Sands drowning victims has spoken of his family’s anguish that the council which failed to provide lifeguards on the beach has not offered its condolences for their loss.

It comes after The Argus exclusively revealed that Rother District Council had not acted on advice from the RNLI in 2013 to install lifeguards on the beach.

Ajirthan Ravi, brother of University of Brighton student Nitharsan Ravi, said he believed the authority was responsible for the death of his brother and four others who tragically lost their lives on Wednesday last week.

Mr Ravi, 19, said: “That’s three years ago [that the council received the advice] and the beach is only getting busier. They should have acted on the recommendation in 2013, it’s totally ridiculous.

“They can’t pretend they’re not responsible for this issue.

“Their carelessness has led to us losing five people on that beach.”

He added: “At least they could have phoned and apologised. We haven’t even had a ‘we’re sorry you lost your brother in our area’.”

A spokeswoman for the council responded to Mr Ravi’s comments by saying: “We have offered our condolences through the media and in statement issued on our website and social media.”

Nitharsan Ravi died alongside brothers Kenugen and Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, Inthushan Sriskantharaja, and Gurushanth Srithavarajah - who were in their late teens or twenties.

It is believed two of the men were trapped in quicksand and they and three others lost their lives trying to help them escape the fast-rising tide on the undulating beach.

On Saturday The Argus revealed that the RNLI had recommended in 2013 that the council should install a lifeguard service, which seemed to contradict earlier statements from the council that it had been advised the beach was safe without guards.

Mr Ravi said the family, part of the tight-knit Sri Lankan community in South London, was reeling with anger and shock following the deaths but knew nothing could bring them back.

He spoke of the close friendship between the five men and said: “I wouldn’t expect such good-hearted people to lose their lives in a way which could have been rectified.

“I want my brother and his friends to be the last people to lose their lives on this beach. That’s my hope now.”