Tributes paid as family shares poignant picture of schoolgirl, 10, who died in mudslide on school trip
23 May 2024, 11:35 | Updated: 23 May 2024, 11:50
The family of a "much-loved" schoolgirl who died in a mudslide in North Yorkshire while on a school trip have paid tribute to her, as her picture was released for the first time.
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Leah Harrison, 10, died in the mudslide, which took place at 1.15pm on Wednesday in Carlton-in-Cleveland. It is believed the incident happened on Carlton Bank.
Her family, from Darlington, paid tribute in a statement, saying: "Leah Harrison, the happy, bubbly, go-lucky little girl.
"The beautiful smile, the giddy laugh, the silly jokes. You will never ever be forgotten baby girl.
"You will achieve your dream and become a player for the Lionesses. Spread those wings. May you rest in paradise."
Read more: Person dies in mudslide in North Yorkshire after Met Office yellow weather warning
Leaders of Mount Pleasant Primary School, where Leah was a Year 6 pupil, also paid tribute to her after the "heartbreaking tragedy".
Nick Blackburn of Lingfield education trust, said: "Leah was a much-loved part of our school and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and the school staff.
"Counselling is being arranged within the school for pupils and staff. We are all in a state of shock and we would ask that the privacy of the family and the school community is respected while we try to come to terms with what has happened."
Officers said nobody else was injured in the incident, adding they would provide updates "as soon as we can".
It comes after a month's worth of rain fell across Yorkshire.
A yellow weather warning was put in place across parts of the UK on Wednesday, including across Yorkshire, until 6am on Thursday.
"It is going to be a pretty wet picture as we go through the rest of the week for many places," Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said.
