Fundraiser soars above £45,000 for the devastated Birmingham family of children who tragically drowned in Spain

Ameiya and Ricardo Junior Parris, 13 and 11, from Erdington, Birmingham, sadly died after getting into difficulty at sea during a family holiday in Salou, near Tarragona, on Tuesday, July 29.

A GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money to repatriate the bodies of Ameiya and Ricardo Junior, and to help ease the pain of the family, has now reached more than £45,000, more than double the intended target of £15,000.

Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox with the Express & Star’s free newsletter

After the two children got into difficulty, their father, Ricardo Parris, 31, also entered the water and was rescued alive by emergency services and taken to the hospital with a concussion.

A relative of the family has since said that they were 'left numb' by the tragic events, and are 'holding each other up' to keep it together for their family members. 

Now, a fundraiser to help bring 'Maya and Jubs', the nicknames of the two children, has doubled its target as more than 2,000 charitable donors offer money to help support the devastated family. 

The GoFundMe description read: "This fundraiser was created to help ease the financial burden that the family is now facing, covering the costs of bringing Maya and Jubs back to the UK, giving them both the dignified farewell they deserve, and to support their parents and loved ones during this incredibly painful time.

"We know that no amount of money can make this right. But together, we can help to carry some of the weight."

More than 2.4 thousand people have so far donated to the fundraiser, leading to a total of £45,926.

Earlier this week, Kayla Del-Brocco, sister of Shanice, the mother of the two children, spoke of the devastation of the family, saying that the tragedy has been 'a complete nightmare'.

She said: "We've got to wait for all the paperwork and everything to go through and the bodies to officially be released so that we can repatriate them back home. I was told yesterday that it could be anything from seven to 15 days.

"They are just numb. They're holding each other up and keeping it together for the little ones at the moment; going through the motions and desperately waiting to come home now."

The two youngsters, who were in years 7 and 8 at North Birmingham Academy, were doting older siblings and had high aspirations. 

Ameiya was described as a talented runner who had her sights set on going to the Olympics, with Ricardo wanting to become a famous YouTuber. 

Via her sister, Shanice said that the siblings were "hilarious, sensitive and loving - the best big brother and sister that anyone could ever want."

The fundraiser remains open, with anyone wanting to donate able to give money to the official GoFundMe fundraising page here.