Dawlish tragedy: Cops scour CCTV after Ukrainian refugee, 14, died in ‘unexplained’ beach horror as tributes pour in
COPS have scoured CCTV after a Ukrainian refugee schoolgirl died on a beach in an "unexplained" horror.
Tributes today poured in for the 14-year-old, who is currently unnamed, after she was found unconscious and died on a Dawlish beach in Devon on Saturday.
The seaside town was in shock today as grieving friends of the Year 9 pupil at Dawlish College were offered specialist support.
Mayor of Dawlish Lisa Mayne said locals were "absolutely devastated".
The girl was found on a stretch of beach close to the seaside town’s railway station and its main beach frontage following a major police and coastguard search on Saturday afternoon.
The station is undergoing major engineering work and access to the beach is limited. A high sea wall also obscures visibility to passers.
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Mayor Mayne added: "You can’t put it properly into words, how it is going to affect our Ukrainian community here.
"They have come here to find safety and now they have to come to terms with a terrible tragedy like this.
"It’s dreadfully sad. Her family needs time to grieve and find out what happened.
"People in Dawlish have been so welcoming. This is terrible news for us too."
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The girl has been described as a "kind and caring person" by her fellow school pupils.
One student said: "She went to my school. It's so sad, she was a lovely girl."
Another pupil added: "We just got the news at the school I go to because she was a student here and we all think it's horrible.
"She was such a kind and caring person and it is so sad to see her go."
Mother-of-two Carol Evans, 72, a volunteer at The Children's Society shop from Dawlish, said: "I'm absolutely horrified, I think it's dreadful."
And a post office worker in the town added: "After everything those poor Ukrainian families have gone through back home. It's really awful to hear."
Bike shop owner Radyk Modrzynsk said: "I'm in shock because my daughter is also 14 year old. I will definitely be talking to her about the situation when she gets home from school."
One local bar worker said the area was popular with teenagers on Saturday afternoons and early evenings.
"The first we knew of it was an increased police presence," he said. "That’s not particularly unusual on a Saturday although the town is a safe place for youngsters to walk around.
"Nobody knows what happened. It’s just really shocking."
Police forensics experts were at the scene on Sunday and it is understood local business have been asked to check CCTV for images of the girl.
An amusements arcade worker said police had asked to view its cameras' hard drive but didn’t take away any digital images.
Detective Inspector Becky Davies, of Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We were called on the evening of Saturday 4 March with reports of a 14-year-old girl missing from the Dawlish area.
"Localised searches took place with support from the police helicopter and coastguard and an unconscious person was found on Dawlish Beach.
"She was subsequently airlifted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where she later sadly died. Formal identification has taken place and next of kin have been informed.”
DI Davies added: “The deceased girl was a Ukrainian national who was living in the Dawlish area; contact has been made with the Ukrainian Embassy and The Home Office are also aware of this incident.
"This death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries continue as to the circumstances surrounding this death. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenage girl at this tragic time."
One parent, who did not want to be named, described the situation as "absolutely heart breaking".
She added that the girl was a Year 9 pupil at 500-pupil Dawlish College.
"There are quite a few Ukrainian students at the school," she said. "My daughter is in a different year and didn’t know her."
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Dawlish College did not respond to a request for comment.
However, one parent said an email had been sent to pupils’ families promising support for grieving students.
