Girl, 15, dies in 'tragic accident' while playing with friends in River Severn
A 15-year-old girl has died in a "tragic accident" while playing with her friends in the River Severn.
Dyfed-Powys Police said a body was recovered from the river after a multi-agency search on Friday.
They later confirmed the teenager as Holli Smallman from Welshpool.
The river, which is the longest in Great Britain, is 220 miles long and enters several counties on the England-Wales border.
Holli was a Year 10 pupil at Welshpool High School.
Councillor Alison Davies is a member of Welshpool Town Council and is also a school governor at Welshpool High.
She told Sky News she felt "incredibly sorry" for Holli's family and friends.
"It's just awful for the family, the friends and the wider community," she said.
"A group of young people playing in the river, swimming, as they have done for generations and a tragic accident has taken the life of one girl and had a terrible impact on the lives of so many other people, her family and her friends."
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Holli would have been going into Year 11 in September.
"Of course, those young people are going to go back to school and it's going to reverberate for some time," Cllr Davies added.
"Fortunately, the school is a very supportive, kind and strong school and I think that that will help the young people a lot. And the community will support the family as the family need."
Holli's family is being supported by specialist officers and the force said its thoughts remained with them.
