Teenage girls leap to deaths from bridge

Two teenage girls died after jumping from a 125ft-high road bridge while holding hands.

The girls, aged 14 and 15, fell from the Erskine Bridge, a notorious suicide spot near Glasgow. They attended the Good Shepherd Centre in nearby Bishopton, a residential school for girls aged 12-18 with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

A search operation was launched after the pair were spotted at about 9pm yesterday. Their bodies were pulled from the river Clyde and taken
to hospital in a Ministry of Defence helicopter.

One of the teenagers is from the Dumbartonshire town of Helensburgh, while the other is understood to be from Hull.

Both girls started attending the Good Shepherd Centre unit eight weeks ago.

A centre spokesman said they had been on apparently happy and productive weekend outings with relatives and were seen by staff in their pyjamas going to their rooms to watch television yesterday evening.

But staff carrying out routine checks noticed they were missing and began a search of the campus and the immediate vicinity.

Shortly afterwards, police called to inform staff
of the deaths at Erskine Bridge.

A spokesman for the Good Shepherd centre said: "The thoughts and prayers of all at the Good Shepherd Centre are with the families and friends of the girls who have died.

"Counselling is being offered to the other residents at the unit, who have been shocked and traumatised by what has happened."

The Good Shepherd Centre comprises three sections — an open unit, a secure unit and a day unit.

The girls were among nine live-in residents at the open unit, which also has 21 day girls who live in foster or care homes.

Pupils there are not kept under lock and key but any outing requires authorisation. No authorisation was given for the girls to leave
yesterday evening.