The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
River tragedy teenager ‘died a hero’ with bid to rescue friend
A TEENAGER who lost her life trying to save a friend from a fast-flowing river “died a hero”, it emerged yesterday.
Tonibeth Purvis, 15, jumped in to save Chloe Fowler, 14, who had entered the Wear at Washington, Tyne and Wear, to cool off.
But, after a rescue attempt involving more than 100 emergency service personnel, the bodies of both teenagers were recovered by police dive units on Tuesday night.
Police have since said that one or two other children also nearly drowned trying to help their friends.
Bethany Rose-McCaffrey, 15, was friends with Tonibeth and said she was a role model who had died a hero.
“I knew Tonibeth, she was loving and caring and always put people before her,” she said.
“If it had been a friend or a stranger, she would have gone to help.
“I did not believe it was actually her but then I found out that it was.
“I’m really shocked because I did not think something like this would happen.
“She has died a hero trying to save a friend’s life, which shows we really do have friends out there.
“She was a really good role model and always had a smile on her face.”
Northumbria Police Superintendent Alan Veitch said: “Chloe went in first, Tonibeth and others went in to help her.
“Tonibeth got into difficulties and so have the others.
“I think there’s a lot of children who were trying to effect a rescue.” Chloe’s family yesterday issued a statement through police describing her as a beautiful, kind and caring girl and saying they had been left devastated.
Friends of the girls laid flowers on the riverbank and paid their respects.
Amy Bell, 13, said: “I knew Chloe, she was a fantastic girl and she did not deserve this at all.”
Joss Richards, 13, was in the same school class as Tonibeth.
“She was absolutely lovely,” he said.
“She did not have a bad bone in her body, she was really, really nice.
“She had a wicked sense of humour and she always had a cheeky laugh about her.”
Meanwhile, the body of the man in his twenties was pulled from Thirlmere Reservoir in Keswick, Cumbria, yesterday.
A woman was rescued by emergency services at the scene after they were called around 3pm, police said.
And a brother and sister aged 11 and six are in a stable condition in hospital after being rescued from the River Arrow in Redditch, Worcestershire, at around 12.30 yesterday.