17-year-old student found dead in her hotel room while on school trip to New York, family devastated
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A British teen was found dead while on a school trip to New York, according to the UK Foreign Office.
On the morning of December 19, Anastasia Uglow was found unconscious and unresponsive in her room at the Holiday Inn Express in Midtown, Manhattan, where the touring group was put up.
She was reportedly a sixth-form student (a high school senior) at the Bristol Grammar School, which is a mixed, independent day school for pupils aged between four and 18. She was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital where she was pronounced dead, the Guardian reported.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are talking with the US authorities and are providing support to the family.”
“The medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death and the investigation is ongoing," a spokesman for the New York Police Department said.
An investigation into the student's death is currently ongoing and so far, the police have not discovered any suspicious circumstances surrounding the trip itself. Authorities believe that Uglow might have fallen sick during the trip.
The school’s headteacher, Jaideep Barot, said in a statement that everyone who knew the deceased was devastated and they were provided emotional assistance or anyone who might have been affected by the tragic loss.
“It is with great sadness that we can confirm the death in New York of one of our sixth-form pupils, which occurred on Thursday, December 19, while they were on a school trip," he said. "We are all devastated by the news and our thoughts are with their family and friends during this extremely difficult time. We have opened a book of condolence and we will consider further remembrance with the family’s support in the new year. We would ask the media to respect the privacy of the family and our community while we grieve."
The students had been on a trip to New York and Washington DC when the incident happened.