'Much loved' schoolgirl, 9, drowns in bath tub in family home

A New Zealand schoolgirl who drowned in a bathtub at home just ahead of the new school term has been described as a “much-loved” student.

Nine-year-old Auckland girl Tamsyn Whiteman drowned Sunday at about 7.50am at her home in Conifer Grove, The New Zealand Herald reports.

She was a student at the Exclusive Brethren School in Westmount.

The school located in the South Auckland suburb of Mangere Bridge said the community was “deeply saddened by the tragic death” of the year five student.

“Tamsyn was a much-loved student at the Auckland Campus of Westmount School and was looking forward to returning to School, following the end of Term 2 break,” the school said on Facebook.

The school added the “loss is a tragedy for the family [and] the wider community”.

“We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for the family, and for the School at this time,” the school wrote.

Spokesman for the Exclusive Brethren school Doug Watt told the newspaper staff and students would be offered counselling “during this very difficult time”, as would Tasmyn’s family.

Police senior sergeant John Yearbury said the "family are really raw at the moment" when speaking from the scene on Sunday.

While the exact circumstances of the young girl's death have not been released, it comes only weeks after a Texas teen was electrocuted while using her phone in the bath.

Madison Coe sent out a fated final photo of the charger plugged into an extension cord, resting on a towel on the bathroom floor.

"When you use and (sic) extension cord so you can plug your phone in while you're in the bath,” the 14-year-old’s post said.

Her grandmother Donna O'Guinn told KCBD Madison was found with “a burn mark on her hand, the hand that would have grabbed the phone”.

“And that was just very obvious that that's what had happened,” she said.