Tributes have been paid to a 24-year-old woman who died after getting into difficulty on her paddleboard at Conwy Morfa beach in north Wales. Emma Louise Powell, from the Llandudno area, has been remembered as being "adventurous" and "a free spirit". Her family say she will remain in their hearts for the rest of their lives.
Ms Powell died following an incident at Conway Morfa beach at around 10pm on Thursday, July 14. North Wales Police confirmed officers were called to a "group of paddleboarders in difficulty in the water off Conwy Morfa" and coastguard rescuers, RNLI rescuers and paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service also attended the scene.
In an earlier statement, police said three people in the group "received care from the ambulance service" with two of them soon taken to hospital. North Wales Police later confirmed one person, now named publicly as Emma Louise Powell, died in hospital after the incident.
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The latest statement from North Wales Police says: "The woman that tragically died in a paddleboard accident at Conwy Morfa last night has been named. Emma Louise Powell was 24 and from the Llandudno area."
Emma's family said in a statement: "Emma was a beautiful young lady, who was adventurous and had a free spirit. She will remain in our hearts for the rest of our lives. Specialist officers continue to support the family and we would ask that they are given privacy at this difficult time."
Emma's family have thanked members of the community for their messages of support at this sad time and have set up an online fundraiser to pay towards funeral costs, NorthWalesLive reports.
On the 'Emma Louise Powell's Funeral Funds' page on GoFundMe, Ms Powell's family said: "On July 15, 2022 we have sadly lost our beloved Emma Louise. Emma was involved in a tragic accident where she sadly drowned at Conwy Morfa beach.
"Emma was like no other, everyone who was lucky enough to cross paths with her had no choice but to love her huge happy go lucky personality. She was such a vibrant soul with a huge heart, but could also be a stroppy cow when she wanted to be, but that’s just our Emma.
"We are creating this GoFundMe in hopes that Emma's loved family and friends will help give Emma the big send off she deserves. With no plans set ahead yet, what we do know is that Emma is going to have greatest send off that we possibly can do for her, in Emma’s words "Go Big or Go Home". We appreciate any and all donations from those that can give."
The update from police and the online fundraiser come after an earlier statement from police confirmed one person had died in the incident. The initial statement read: "We received a call at 10.14pm last night (Thursday) reporting a group of paddleboarders in difficulty in the water off Conwy Morfa.
"Officers attended alongside colleagues from HM Coastguard and Welsh Ambulance, who attended to three casualties. Two of the casualties were taken by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd but sadly, despite the best efforts of all involved, one person passed away in hospital. The local Coroner has been informed, and specialist officers will be supporting the family of the deceased."
