The parents and sisters of 12-year-old Jessica Lawson have arrived in France to begin the repatriation of her body.

The schoolgirl died earlier this week during a swimming accident after she fell into a lake near Meymac in the Massif Central region of the country.

A pupil at Wolfreton School in Hull, Lawson is believed to have become trapped under an overturned pontoon while swimming.

Writing on Facebook, father Antony said: “This only happens to other people!

“Yesterday we became those ‘other people’ we lost our beautiful loving and kind daughter Jessica in tragic circumstances in France.”

Lawson was one of 24 students on a five-day trip to the Club Correze adventure centre.

Counselling is being offered to staff and pupils at Wolfreton School, head teacher Dave McCready said

The group left for France on July 18th and had been due to return home on Thursday.