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Ski lift tragedy

A teenage girl from Slough has died after falling from a ski lift during a school trip to the Italian Alps.

The 13-year-old was a pupil at the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes, Middlesex.

Live updates

Teacher first to tell parents of ski death

The headteacher of the school attended by Poonam Bhattal, who died after falling from a ski lift in Italy, has spoken of the moment he broke the news of the her death to her parents.

Rajinder Singh Sandhu, the Principal of the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, paid tribute to Miss Bhattal calling the 13-year-old an "extremely gifted, straight A" student.

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Ski lift tragedy: travel company statement

The travel company, which organised the school ski trip in which a teenager died, has released a statement:

"Skibound regrets to confirm that a pupil from Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes, Middlesex, has been involved in a fatal incident in the ski resort of Claviere in the Piemonte region of Italy.

"The thoughts and condolences of all at Skibound are with the family, school and friends. All our efforts are focused on ensuring they are supported in any way possible through this very difficult time.

"The company's operations centre received notification from the resort manager that a female pupil had been involved in an incident on a chairlift during her morning ski school lesson.

The rescue team from the Italian emergency services arrived at the scene, but unfortunately she was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. Her next of kin has been informed.

"The company's operations centre team continue to liaise closely with the group in resort and school staff involved as well as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Embassy in Italy."

– Skibound

Tributes to teenage ski lift victim

Friends of a teenage girl who died after falling from a ski lift in Italy, have paid tribute to her on social networking sites.

The 13 year-old girl, named in reports as Poonam Bhattal from Slough, is said to have fallen 16 feet on to the piste in the Alps resort of Claviere yesterday morning.

She was on a school trip with classmates from the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes.

Friends on Twitter described her as "a beautiful girl" who will be "dearly missed".

Police have launched an investigation and are due to question the teenager's classmates, who boarded the lift with her.

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