Family is having difficulty understanding and accepting Elianne's death at her moving memorial.

Dozens of people have laid flowers at the scene of the tragic death of Elianne Andam, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who was killed in Croydon on Wednesday morning. Elianne’s family have said they are ‘struggling to comprehend’ her death.

This evening, a moving vigil was held at the scene of her death in south London. In attendance were local church and community leaders, locals, friends, and family. People placed flowers on the ground, lit candles, and made speeches. A statement was read out on behalf of the Andam family by a church leader:

“We as a family are struggling to comprehend this painful tragedy that has happened to our beautiful daughter and beloved sister Elianne. Our hearts are broken, and we are overwhelmed by sorrow and grief. Our faith in the Lord is strengthening us. We would like to express our gratitude to those who have taken the time to send us thoughtful and compassionate messages and prayers. We kindly ask for your consideration to also respect our need for privacy as we attempt to come to grips with our deeply devastating loss.”

Family and friends, as well as community members, paid tribute to Elianne. A prayer was given by a local bishop, and police officers observed a minute’s silence after laying flowers at the scene.

People spoke of Elianne’s beauty, intelligence, and kind nature. One person said “Elianne was a beautiful person inside and out who loved Jesus. She was intelligent, thoughtful, kind, and had a bright future ahead.”

The group then entered the nearby Whitgift shopping centre, where more than 20 close family and friends placed flowers in Elianne’s memory. Bishop Mark Nicholson from Acts Christian Church said: “Our hearts are burning. It doesn’t matter if you are related or not. Another life lost. In our city always, majoring on knife crime. I don’t have the solution but I can pray to bring solace. Not just one side of the family, both. Loads of things are going on in their mind at the moment.”

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