Police are investigating the unexplained death of an 11-year-old girl whose body was pulled from water in Gorebridge on Thursday afternoon.
Officers were called to the Gore Glen area following reports of concern for the young girl. Emergency services attended the scene, but the child was pronounced dead.
Police Scotland confirmed they are treating the death as unexplained and inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding what happened.
Gore Glen is a popular woodland and river area on the outskirts of Gorebridge in Midlothian, frequently visited by local families and walkers.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said the death is being treated as unexplained and that a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal. Officers are working to support the family of the young girl at what they described as an incredibly difficult time.
The local community in Gorebridge has been left deeply shaken by the news. Gorebridge is a small town in Midlothian with a tight-knit community, and the loss of a child so young has prompted an outpouring of shock and grief from residents.
Police have not released further details about the identity of the child or the precise circumstances of how she came to be in the water, as investigations remain at an early stage.
Anyone with information relevant to the inquiry is being asked to contact Police Scotland.