Girl, 7, dies after she’s swept over waterfall at beauty spot
Mum tells of desperate bid to save her from torrent
A GIRL of seven has died after falling over a waterfall as she swam with her mother at a popular beauty spot.
Freya Skene and Brooke Reid, 26, were swept away by the rapid current and plunged down a series of waterfalls.
They were playing in the water at the Hermitage near Dunkeld, Perthshire, on Monday evening when tragedy struck.
The heartbroken mother yesterday described how she tried to cling to her daughter as they bounced off rocks but lost her in the rising waters of the Black Linn Pool.
The pair were pulled from the water at around 7pm on Monday and taken to Ninewells Hospital, in Dundee, where Freya was declared dead.
Her mother, who was released after treatment, described the tragedy in an emotional social media post.
The charity worker, from Dundee, told how she had managed to grab on to a rock but lost sight of her daughter – who was pulled out of the water by a friend further downstream. The little girl is believed to have died ‘instantly’.
Writing on Facebook she said: ‘We had to say goodbye to our best friend, our life, our world, our everything. I stayed with Freya the whole night and most of today before she was taken away.
‘Everyone tried their best and I couldn’t be any more grateful for the emergency teams all out trying to save us.’
Describing the incident she said: ‘Me and Freya were in a freak accident that had us pulled down multiple waterfalls.
‘We were playing in the fairy pools and next minute out of nowhere a current hit us both and swept us. I tried my very best to hold on and grab every rock in the passing but before I knew it we had lost each other.
‘I was lucky to survive but sadly our poor baby girl passed away. I believe this was instant for her.
‘Emergency teams treated us both as best as they could. My heart and everyone else’s within the families are broken.
‘We were having such a good day, how could this happen, how could our baby girl be taken away from us so suddenly, how did I survive?
‘She was so kind, caring, bubbly and determined in life.’
Miss Reid described her daughter as a ‘cheeky little devil’, adding: ‘I’ll miss her so much and I don’t know how life will be without her but together as a family we are going to do everything we can to make sure she’s always remembered.’
A Gofundme page set up by a friend had last night raised more than £12,000 to help with funeral costs.
Friend Sean McKiddle, who pulled Freya from the water, wrote on Facebook: ‘Absolutely devastated. This doesn’t feel real. RIP
‘Tried to grab every rock’
Freya, you will be missed by so many.’
Freya’s father, Robert Skene, also posted a tribute to his daughter and said: ‘Me and Brooke sadly lost our beautiful baby girl last night.
‘Until we meet again Freya Skene, love you always and forever my baby.’
Loved ones yesterday visited the spot, which is popular with dog walkers and wild swimmers, to leave flowers.
Police said inquiries were ongoing but the death was not being treated as suspicious.
It came as three children and an adult were rescued from the water off Dunbar, in East Lothian, after getting into difficulty near Belhaven Bay at around 6.10pm on Monday.
Their condition is not known.