Leah Harrison's tragic mudslide death to be investigated by police, council and safety chiefs
Health and safety bosses, police and council chiefs have confirmed they will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Leah Harrison.
The 10-year-old was killed in a freak mudslide incident while on an instructor-led forest walk at Carlton Bank on Wednesday afternoon. Leah, a pupil at Mount Pleasant Primary School, in Darlington, was on a school trip with Carlton Adventure, an outdoor education centre, when tragedy struck.
Now, a spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive has confirmed they will be carrying out a joint investigation with North Yorkshire Police. Hartlepool Borough Council, which runs Carlton Adventure, has also confirmed a full investigation will be carried out.
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A spokesman for HSE said: "We are aware of this incident and working with North Yorkshire Police on a joint investigation."
An emergency response involving police, fire crews, ambulance crews and Cleveland Mountain Rescue was launchedat around 1.15pm on Wednesday when the incident happened.
Denise McGuckin, managing director of Hartlepool Council said: ‘"We can confirm that a tragic incident occurred during one of the Centre’s instructor-led outdoor education forest walks near to Carlton-in-Cleveland yesterday.
"We are utterly devastated and heartbroken and our thoughts are with Leah's family and friends and all those affected. We are working closely with our partner agencies to carry out a full investigation and we are temporarily suspending all outdoor activities and residential breaks managed by the council. Whilst the investigation is being carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."