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British Girl, 7, Missing After Wave in Morocco

Published 30 January 2026

A seven-year-old British girl from Blackburn, Lancashire, remains missing after being swept out to sea by a sudden wave while sitting on rocks with her family near Casablanca, Morocco, on Wednesday, January 28.

Inaayah Makda, a pupil at Roe Lee Park Primary School, was on the first night of a week-long family holiday when the incident occurred. Her parents, Zubair and Tasneem Makda, described as hardworking professionals, along with other relatives, had settled on rocks about half a meter high to watch the sunset. A relative reported that the tide appeared distant at first but surged in rapidly within roughly 20 minutes, catching the group by surprise. No warnings or signs about the dangers of the rocks were visible, according to family accounts.

Zubair Makda recounted the moment to local media, saying Inaayah was positioned on a rock behind him when the wave struck. "We got swept to the right and she got swept to the left," he said. "I did not see where Inaayah was, as she got swept away so quickly. I couldn't find her at all." Other family members were also pulled into the water but managed to return to shore. The parents spent hours along the beach calling Inaayah's name and...

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