Leah Harrison, a 10-year-old pupil at Mount Pleasant Primary School in Darlington, tragically passed away during a school trip on Wednesday afternoon. The young girl was killed in a mudslide in Carlton-in-Cleveland, North Yorkshire. Police received a call about the incident around 13:15 BST. Leah’s family described her as a “happy, bubbly, go-lucky little girl” and stated that she will never be forgotten. They wrote, “You will achieve your dream and become a player for the Lionesses. Spread those wings. May you rest in paradise.”
Nick Blackburn, the chief executive of Leah’s school, also paid tribute to her, saying she was a “much-loved” part of the school. He added that counselling is being organised for both pupils and staff. In a statement, Mr Blackburn expressed the school’s shock at the tragedy and requested that the privacy of Leah’s family and the school community is respected during this time of grief.
The heavy rain which persisted in the area on the day of the incident was in line with a yellow weather warning issued by the Met Office. BBC Yorkshire climate correspondent, Paul Hudson noted that Loftus, located approximately 20 miles away, experienced a month’s worth of rainfall in just twelve hours.
The Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team confirmed that it dispatched volunteers to the incident at Carlton Bank. A spokesperson for the team explained that 19 volunteers were immediately deployed and that this number later increased to 30 as they worked with other emergency responders such as the police, ambulance and fire services. The spokesperson concluded by stating that the team’s thoughts are with Leah’s family and friends during such a sorrowful time
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