������̳

Tributes have been paid to a "wonderful" 17-year-old pupil who died in a crash on Thursday.

Olivia Alkir, from Efenechtyd, Denbighshire, died after a two-car crash on the B5105 Clawddnewydd road between Ruthin and Cerrigydrudion.

She was a passenger in a Ford Fiesta which crashed at about 19:30 BST.

The male driver, 17, and female passengers, aged 16 and 17, were airlifted to hospital in Stoke with serious injuries.

Two occupants of the other car - a black Mercedes - were taken to Glan Clwyd hospital after the crash.

Olivia was a deputy head girl and A-level student at Brynhyfryd School, where she studied physics, mathematics, geography and the Welsh Baccalaureate.

She hoped to go on to study architectural engineering at university.

"Olivia was a fun loving, wise, ambitious individual," her family said in a statement.

"She was loved by all who knew her. She took huge pride in everything she did and was recently recognised for her tenacity and dedication by being appointed deputy head girl at Ysgol Brynhyfryd. A post she would have undoubtedly excelled in.

"Olivia was kind, thoughtful and excited by the prospect of going to university to study architectural engineering.

"Olivia worked as a lifeguard and planned to fund her studies by continuing this. She was a natural 'water baby' having spent her summers in her father's native Turkey where she would spend the days swimming in the sea.

"She had a uniquely unbreakable bond with her adoring parents and was cherished by her cousins, friends, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

"Although her life has been cut tragically short, she filled her seventeen years with a lifetime of achievements.

"Olivia was beautiful inside and out and the world was a better place because of her."

'Lust for life'

Her headmaster Geraint Parry described Olivia as a "wonderful young lady".

"She had a lust for life with a bright future ahead of her," he said.

"Olivia was a friend to all of her peers, was well liked and was a very popular member of our school community. She was a kind, articulate, bubbly and charismatic student with an amazing future ahead of her.

"She will be sorely missed and the thoughts and prayers of everyone here at Brynhyfryd are with her family and friends."

Ruthin councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts said it was a "devastating" time for the community, particularly for Olivia's friends and family.

"Some of these children have never even dealt with a loss of life before because they are so young," he said.

"To see a 17-year-old taken away from them - someone who was well liked, very popular, a big personality at the school... this is just devastating for the whole area."

The injuries of the 52-year-old male driver of the Mercedes and female passenger, 76, were described as serious but not life-threatening.

Two air ambulances and a coastguard rescue helicopter attended the crash.

The Welsh Ambulance Service said it also sent three rapid response vehicles and four ambulances, and the fire service sent crews from Ruthin and Denbigh.

North Wales Police is appealing for witnesses to the crash.