Girl Killed By 'BBQ Gas' At Campsite Named

A teenage girl who died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at a campsite in Shropshire has been named locally as Hannah Thomas-Jones.

All four members of the family were found unconscious in their tent in Bucknell, Shropshire on Sunday morning.

Hannah, 14, was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering cardiac arrest, while her 11-year-old brother and their parents were taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The boy is described as being stable but still "unwell", while his parents are now said to be in a comfortable condition.

The owners of the Baron at Bucknell campsite said a disposable barbecue used by the family on the first evening of their bank holiday break had been left in the porch of the tent.

On a Facebook page set up as a memorial, "RIP Hannah Thomas Jones! You Will Never Be Forgotten", friends have left messages for the teenager.

"Hannah you were a beautiful young girl and way too young to die," says one.

Many others simply say "RIP".

The family was apparently part of a larger group made up of the mother's two sisters and their respective partners and children, staying in a number of tents on the site.

Detective Inspector Gavin Kinrade from West Mercia Police said: "We are treating the girl's death as unexplained, but there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances."

Site owner Phil Wright said: "They had gone into the tent and found them all unconscious. One of the sisters came and said, 'We need an ambulance urgently'.

"The emergency services were on the scene within five minutes. They worked on the girl for some time but they couldn't save her.

"It has been devastating. It is really tragic. Nobody has done anything wrong, they have just not realised the dangers of disposable barbecues."

The girl's death is believed to be the fourth linked with carbon monoxide from a barbecue in the UK in the past 12 months.

The most recent case is understood to be that of a six-year-old girl who died at a campsite in the New Forest at Easter, while in March, a 45-year-old man died after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning at a log cabin in the Lake District.

Last August a 34-year-old woman died at a campsite in Gwynedd. An inquest blamed carbon monoxide from a barbecue.

A brief statement released by the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on behalf of the extended family said: "Our priority as a family is to ensure that the three people in hospital get well and are fully recovered.

"We are devastated by this tragic accident and will release a full statement at a later date.

"We would ask that you respect our privacy at this time."