Poonam Bhattal: British schoolgirl, 13, dies on school ski trip after falling 20ft from chairlift in Italian Alps By Emine Sinmaz and Hannah Roberts A 13-year-old girl has died after falling from a chairlift and plunging 20ft to the ground on a school skiing trip in the Alps. Poonam Bhattal hit her head on a cement pylon as she fell shortly after getting on the lift in the Italian resort of Claviere yesterday morning. It is thought the teenager may have had trouble getting on the lift, or slipped off before the protective bar was lowered. The schoolgirl from the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes, Middlesex, survived the fall and was airlifted off the mountain, but died on the way to a hospital in the nearby city of Susa, Italian officials said. Poonam was on a week-long excursion with 30 other pupils and was due to return to her home in Langley, Slough, tomorrow. Her parents are now understood to be on their way to Italy. A spokesman from Guru Nanak Sikh Academy confirmed the death and paid tribute to the student. "The leader of this trip and everyone associated with it is devastated by the death of an absolutely lovely student," the spokesman said. The vice principal leading the trip has vast experience, having led 28 of such trips throughout his teaching career. He is obsessive about safety and security on these trips and is accompanied by two assistant head teachers and a massively experienced team of eight staff. A British consular official is en route from Milan to offer support and "try to ascertain what happened." A spokesman for Turin police added: "We don't know yet if she didn't get on properly or if she fell because the barrier wasn't down. The trip was organised by holiday company Skibound. A spokesman said: "Skibound regrets to confirm that a pupil from Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes, Middlesex, has been involved in a fatal incident in the ski resort of Claviere. Poonam is the second British teenager to die in the Alps in less than a month. This week, nine-year-old Brook Hill was injured at Les Monts d'Olmes resort in the Pyrenees after a 27-year-old skier mowed him down. He fell into a coma and has had a section of his skull removed to relieve pressure on his brain.