A 10-year-old girl died of suspected drowning shortly after 4 p.m. March 31 at Savannah Bay on Virgin Gorda during a high surf advisory, police said.
The girl — later identified by Enis Adams Primary School as EAPS student Dauria Alexander — was rescued from the water and transported to the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead, according to a four-sentence press release the Police Information Office issued shortly after 9 p.m. the same day.
“Details surrounding this tragic incident are currently unknown,” the release stated.
Police extended condolences to the girl’s family, but they have not provided further information.
They also did not confirm online reports that other people were hospitalised as well.
Police Information Office Akia Thomas-Nero did not respond to a request for more information.
School tribute
Two days after the death, EAPS posted a tribute to Dauria on its Facebook page, citing the school’s mascot and describing her as a “hawk here on earth and now a hawk soaring higher in heaven.”
Dauria was a track-and-field athlete, and she had been preparing to represent her school at a cheerleading competition, the post stated.
“I can only see her smiling as she did randomly each time,” school counsellor Jacob Edward wrote. “Let her legacy inspire us to live each day with kindness, compassion and gratitude.”
Dozens of well-wishers offered their condolence in messages underneath the school’s post.
Rough seas
The seas were rough over the weekend across much of the territory, and the day before the death the Department of Disaster Management announced that a high surf advisory was in effect until Tuesday of this week.
The advisory warned that affected areas would include “north-exposed and north-facing reefs and coasts with areas near the coast relatively shallow and mild to moderate slope.”
Savannah Bay, which often experiences heavy surf, faces northwest.