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Family pays tribute to 'precious and fun loving' eight-year-old who died in forest accident

Kayla MacDonald was trapped under logs - PA
Kayla MacDonald was trapped under logs - PA

An eight-year-old girl who died after being trapped by falling logs in a forest was described by her family yesterday as a precious child whose smile would “light up a room”.

Kayla MacDonald died in woods near Benderloch, north of Oban, on Sunday afternoon. A 12-year-old girl who was with her is in stable condition in hospital.

Logging work has been taking place in the area for several months and local residents said there were warning signs in place telling people not to enter the commercial forest on the slopes of Ben Lora.

Kayla’s family, from nearby Dunbeg, issued a statement calling her a fun-loving eight-year-old who was “loved by everyone around her”. They added: “Kayla's smile would light up a room. She attended Rockfield's Gaelic Medium where she was fluent in Gaelic.

"Our wee girl loved music and dance as well as doing hair, nails and make up. Kayla has two younger brothers who along with the rest of her family and friends will miss her dearly.”

police - Credit: PA
Police Scotland said there were no suspicious circumstances Credit: PA

Local residents said the tragedy would have a “massive impact” on the rural community. 

Kayla died at the scene  after becoming trapped under logs in Barcaldine forest while her friend was airlifted to the Lorn and Highlands hospital in Oban.

Margaret Adams, of the local community council, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: ”Even if people don't know the child they will know the family, in a small community. It really will have quite an affect on the locals."

She added: "The signs make it very clear that they don't want people to go up because there will be heavy machinery and logs stacked."

A spokesman for Forest Enterprise Scotland said: "Our thoughts are with the family and their friends at this very difficult time and we offer them our deepest condolences.

"We will now focus on working with the site contractor, Tilhill Forestry, and the Health and Safety Executive as investigations into this tragic incident continue."