The family of a 10-year-old who died in a mudslide in North Yorkshire have described her as a “happy, bubbly, go-lucky little girl”.
Leah Harrison, a Year 6 pupil at Mount Pleasant Primary School in Darlington, was killed on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said they were called to the mudslide in Carlton-in-Cleveland at 13:15 BST. No other injuries were reported.
Her family added: “You will never ever be forgotten baby girl.”
In a statement, they said: “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 you dream and become a player for the Lionesses.
“Spread those wings. May you rest in paradise.”
Nick Blackburn, chief executive of Leah’s school, also paid tribute, describing her as “much-loved”.
In a statement, he said it was a “heartbreaking tragedy”and full details were “still emerging”.
Mr Blackburn 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.”
A Met Office yellow weather warning was in place for the area yesterday as heavy rain fell.
BBC Yorkshire climate correspondent Paul Hudson said Loftus, around 20 miles away, saw a month’s worth of rain fall in 12 hours.
The Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) confirmed it despatched volunteers to the incident, which occurred on Carlton Bank.
A Cleveland MRT spokesperson said 19 volunteers were “deployed immediately” before that number later rose to 30.
The spokesperson said they worked alongside police, fire and ambulance responders.
“The thoughts of the mountain rescue volunteers are with the family and friends of the deceased during such a very sad time,” they added.
