Irish student dies in kayaking trip near Washington DC

Ella Mills. Picture: Sutton Park School

A young Irish student has died following a kayaking trip in the United States on Sunday afternoon. 

Ella Mills was a third-year Trinity College student from Dublin who had only arrived in the country earlier in September. 

She was studying at Columbia University in New York as a part of a dual BA program with Trinity 

Ms Mills died in the kayaking incident while on a trip with the university's Whitewater Kayaking Club on the Potomac River near Washington DC on Sunday afternoon. 

In a statement, Columbia University said she is survived by her parents, brother, and sister.

A reflection service to remember her was held at the university on Monday evening.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs told the Irish Examiner that it is "aware of this tragic incident and is providing support and assistance to the family".

Principal for Ms Mills' former school, Ronan Walsh paid tribute to the young woman who was a "much cherished past student of Sutton Park School."

Her mother, Jo-Ann Feely currently sits as Chair on the Board of Management for the Dublin school, and Ms Mills' two siblings, Isabel and Leo are currently in their second year in the school. 

"It is with great sadness that I write to let you know that our former pupil Ella Mills died tragically in a Kayaking accident on Sunday in Washington DC," Mr Walsh said in a statement. 

"This is a truly tragic time. Words fail us all. Our sympathies and thoughts are with Ella’s family and her large group of friends."