SCORES of school friends have received special counselling to help them cope with the sudden death of a 16-year-old Wrexham girl.

Katie Wright was taken ill as she was travelling on a bus along Dean Road, close to her home in Borras Park.

Ambulance paramedics took Katie to Wrexham Maelor Hospital where she later died.

Police, who were called to Dean Road shortly before 11am on Monday, say there are no suspicious circumstances.

Katie, who lived with her parents and an older sister, had attended Borras Park Primary School and, until July, St Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School in Wrexham. She left to become a student at the town’s Yale College.

Her widespread popularity and the shock of her sudden death are reflected on a Facebook page, where tributes have been pouring in.

There was also a tribute to her on the St Joseph’s website yesterday, which said: “The community of St Joseph’s is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our former pupils Katie Wright who passed away on Monday morning.

“Our thoughts and prayers are of course with Katie’s family and friends at this difficult time.

“The school chaplaincy team is providing support, prayer and reflection in the school chapel today.

“Further details of how the school community will formally celebrate the life of this beautiful youngster will be posted here over the coming days.”

St Joseph’s headteacher Maria Rimmer described her as a “petite and absolutely gorgeous young lady” who had a positive attitude to life, was involved in a range of school activities and was extremely popular with her schoolmates.

She added past and present pupils had been so traumatised by Katie’s death that 85 of them had been invited back to the school for a counselling session yesterday morning.

Providing the support to the teenagers, who were housed in the chapel and a classroom, were the school’s own chaplaincy team and members of Wrexham Council’s loss and grief team and educational psychology service.

Ms Rimmer said: “There were 111 people in the same year as Katie and most of them came back.

“We spoke about Katie and her ways.

“The best support was them being able to talk to each other about her.

“We are now discussing the possibility of a formal memorial to Katie’s life such as a bench or a tree.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.”

Paul Croke, principal of Yale College, said: “Yale College was deeply saddened to learn of the recent death of Katie Wright.

“She was popular with both staff and students alike and will be remembered as a happy student who was always smiling.

“She was studying AS levels in history, sociology, religious education and maths and was also a keen dancer.

“She will be sadly missed by all who knew her at Yale College and we wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.”