The parents of a 17-year-old girl who died when the school bus she was travelling in crashed in bad weather near Biggar have spoken of their "devastation" at her death.
Natasha Paton, from Cleghorn, Lanark, was a pupil at Lanark Grammar school and died after the bus left the road and crashed into a burn beside the A73 at Wiston. She was found in water underneath the bus.
Her parents issued a statement through police on Thursday night, saying: "We are devastated at the loss of our beloved daughter. Natasha was a typical teenager and very popular with lots of friends and will be greatly missed by all who knew her."
The coach was carrying 39 pupils and six adults, including the driver, and was on its way to Alton Towers when the accident happened at 5.50am on Wednesday morning.
Friends have left tribute messages on Natasha’s Bebo page. According to the site, Natasha was a keen Chelsea supporter and a fan of hit shows including Skins, Hollyoaks and Glee.
The site also has pictures of Natasha on a previous trip to Alton Towers, and tells of her hopes to pass her exams and gain a place on a college course
Superintendent Iain Murray, head of Strathclyde's road policing department, said: "Tragically one girl has died as a result of the crash. Two people were airlifted to Glasgow's Southern General Hospital and several others have been taken to local hospitals to be treated for their injuries. Our hearts go out to the people involved and their families at this sad time."
He praised drivers who stopped at the scene of the crash and villagers who helped deal with the aftermath. The village of Wiston had been suffering from a power cut at the time of the accident and had no electricity from 10pm on Tuesday because of snow.
IN DETAIL
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- Picture gallery - bus crash and Natasha Paton
After the crash, many of the children were taken to the local village hall. Neil MacFarlane, who opened the hall, said: "I got a call from Strathclyde Police at about 6am asking if we could open up the hall because there had been an accident.
"We opened it up but there was no power. The first children arrived around 7am. We were just trying to get them dry. Most of them just had cuts and bruises."
A Sea King helicopter was flown in to take the more serious casualties to hospital. Sixteen were taken to Hairmyres hospital in East Kilbride and all but one have been discharged. Two were taken to the Southern General hospital in Glasgow and one later allowed to go home.
A further eight children were taken to Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, all of whom have since been discharged. Fourteen were taken to Wishaw General Hospital and 11 later discharged.
Tributes
In a speech in London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "At a time when winter weather has returned in spring to many parts of the country, our thoughts are with the families and the friends of those children of Lanark Grammar School."
Jim Hood, the Labour MP for Lanark and Hamilton East, added: "This is a terrible and shocking accident, and my thoughts and prayers are with the staff and pupils involved, and their families. What was supposed to be an enjoyable trip to Alton Towers has ended in horrific circumstances."
In a statement, South Lanarkshire Council’s Education Director Larry Forde said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of one of our senior students at Lanark Grammar who died this morning, and all who were injured.
"The school organised its annual trip to Alton Towers as a welcome break for sixth-year students from their exam preparation before the Easter Holidays. The head teacher, Mark Sherry, and everyone connected with the school wish to express their sympathies to all those involved.
"At this moment, our major focus is on the young people, their families and staff within the school. Social work and psychological services have joined staff at the school offering support. Throughout the day, Mr Sherry and colleagues within the school have been working to keep the families of those involved informed."
An investigation is now under way to determine the cause of the fatal accident.
A South Lanarkshire Council spokesman added: "We're working alongside the police who are carrying out their investigation into the accident and it would be wrong to speculate about the cause.
"What we do know is that many of our school buses were out this morning taking children to schools, including Lanark Grammar.
"The roads had been gritted throughout the night and the traffic was moving. Forty-four people arrived at the school for the planned departure time."
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