Counselling has been offered to children who witnessed the death of a girl who was hit by a car after she got off a school bus in Co Derry yesterday.
The incident happened on the Hillhead road, a busy country road outside the rural village of Castledawson, shortly after 4pm.
Caitlin-Rose McMullan (11), who attended St Pius X College in Magherafelt, was remembered by her school as an “outgoing, bubbly and caring” person.
In a post on Facebook, St Pius X College expressed “profound sadness” and said their thoughts are with her family.
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“Caitlin-Rose was a very popular pupil who was always smiling. Her former teachers described her as a ‘joy to teach due to her kind and fun-loving nature’,” they said.
“Caitlin-Rose’s friends and classmates are heartbroken by her untimely passing and they are receiving support from our staff and relevant professional services.”
Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan described the incident as “devastating”.
“As a parent, when we set our children off to school in the morning, none of us ever expect to receive such devastating news,” he said. “The Education Authority’s critical incident team is in contact with the school and will provide support to the pupils and staff.”
Denise Johnston, a teacher and SDLP councillor for the area, who knows Caitlin-Rose’s family, said it was “the worst possible news”.
“She was a lovely, lovely wee girl,” she said. “This is a very tight knit community and people are absolutely shocked.”
The school bus carries “a lot of kids” from schools in Magherafelt, the Co Derry town closest to the village, and the incident was “traumatic for them”, Ms Johnston added.
“One of the schools opened its doors last night for any of their pupils who witnessed the accident or were on the bus. Counselling was offered to those who needed to come in.”
Police have confirmed that there was a large crowd in the area at the time of the incident - have asked the public not to share footage from the scene on social media.
“I would ask anyone with footage to instead forward it to police through the Major Incident Public Portal,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesman said.
“This footage will be of great assistance to officers investigating the collision.”
The child’s death comes a month after a teenage girl died following an incident in which she was rescued from the Moyala river, a short distance from the crash scene.
“It is a double tragedy the village, two young girls dying in the same area,” said Anne Forde, a DUP councillor for the area for 20 years.
“The community is stunned, the community is feeling heartbroken. The child had only just started secondary school and a lot of families living here have got children that age. They’re just devastated for the family…there are no words,” Ms Forde added.
Members of of the village’s community group, the Castledawson Community Partnership, are meeting tonight.
“Everyone will want to support the family and all those affected by this tragedy, the good people of Castledawson will rally round them,” Ms Forde added.
Northern Ireland’s Education Authority (EA) confirmed on Thursday that a specialist team is providing support to staff and students at the girl’s school.
“Our sincere condolences are with the family, friends, fellow pupils and staff at the school, and all those affected by this tragic incident,” the organisation said.
“Our Critical Incident Response Team are supporting the school during this difficult time and will provide emotional support to both students and staff.
“We would kindly ask that the family, school and wider community are afforded the time and space to grieve this unimaginable loss.
“A PSNI investigation into the serious collision is ongoing.”
