Conwy: Family tributes to woman who died paddleboarding

The family of a 24-year-old woman who died while paddleboarding off the north Wales coast have paid tribute to her.

North Wales Police confirmed Emma Louise Powell, from Llandudno, died after a group of three people got into difficulty in the River Conwy estuary.

Emergency services were called to the water at Beacons jetty, near Morfa beach, at about 22:15 BST on Thursday.

Her family paid tribute, saying she was a "beautiful young lady who was adventurous and had a free spirit".

They added she would remain in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Members of the public entered the water attempting to rescue the paddleboarders, police said.

Coastguard rescue teams from Bangor and Llandudno, Conwy RNLI lifeboat and a coastguard helicopter from Caernarfon all joined the rescue effort.

Two people were taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital in Bangor after the rescue in the River Conwy estuary, where Ms Powell died.

"The full circumstances are still unclear and there are still a lot of witnesses to speak to," Supt Owain Llewellyn said.

"What I can say is that when the emergency services arrived, it was a fairly chaotic scene.

"Members of the public had bravely tried to intervene to assist those in difficulty.

"There were a number of people in the water, so the coastguard helicopter conducted an aerial survey of the area to make sure that there weren't other people in difficulty that we were unaware of."

The local coroner has been informed, specialist officers are supporting the family of Ms Powell and an investigation has been launched.