Tragedy as teenage sisters drown after being swept away at deadly Coney Island beach in New York - as family reveal their haunting final moments

Two teenage sisters drowned while swimming together despite desperate attempts by their family to save them.

Aisha Mohammed, 18, and Zainab Mohammed, 17, traveled from their home in the Bronx to Coney Island in Brooklyn on Friday for a beach day.

The pair went back into the water for one more swim about 8pm when suddenly the sunny day turned dark grey and torrential rain began.

Aisha and Zainab were at the beach with a dozen family and their cousins noticed them floundering in the water.

Zainab Mohammed, 17, drowned while swimming with her sister at Coney Island beach on Friday night

Aisha Mohammed, 18, drowned alongside her sister when they went in for one more swim

Witnesses said a strong current grabbed them and pulled them out to sea as they tried to swim back to the beach.

Their cousin Adam Mohammed saw his brother swim out to rescue them, but but he was unable to haul them back to shore.

'He 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 told the New York Post.

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

Zainab drowned despite the desperate efforts of her cousin to rescue her

Aisha and Zainab were reported missing at 8.10pm and police and emergency rescue responded to the scene, the NYPD said.

Their bodies were found on the shoreline about 9.15pm, and they were pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital.

The beach only has lifeguards between 10am and 6pm, which is the only time swimming is allowed.

Elyjha Chandler, 16, and Christian Perkins, 17, drowned at the same beach on June 21 and their bodies were not found until June 29.

Another two teens almost drowned at the beach on Saturday, but were able to be rescued in time.

Aisha and Zainab's parents moved from Ghana decades ago and both the girls were born in the US.

Zainab and a childcare worker and Aisha had a job at Panera Bread and styled hair.

There will be a memorial service in the next few days.