A 14-year-old Ukrainian refugee girl has died after being found unconscious on a beach in South Devon, England, the Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement Monday.
The girl’s death is being treated as “unexplained” and police are asking anyone who may have CCTV or doorbell footage to share it with police to assist in the investigation.
“We were called on the evening of Saturday 4 March with reports of a 14-year-old girl missing from the Dawlish area,” said detective inspector Becky Davies of Devon and Cornwall Police.
“Localized searches took place with support from the police helicopter and coastguard and an unconscious person was found on Dawlish Beach,” Davies said. “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.”
Davies said 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,” he said.
Police confirmed to CNN that the girl and her mother are Ukrainian refugees. Police had not released the name of the girl at the time of this writing.
“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,” Davies added.
Officers remain in the Dawlish area and are undertaking house-to-house enquiries and attempting to secure any CCTV or doorbell footage that could be available, police said.
Police said no additional information about the case is being released at the moment.
There are more than 160,000 Ukrainian refugees in the UK, according to the latest UN data.
