Givealittle page for identical twin who died at Karekare beach raises over $7000

Friday, 22 May 2020

The Tone6 music group paid tribute to Portia Deluen on their social media page with a special song.

A fundraising page set up for the family of a 14-year-old girl who died after getting caught in a rip at a West Auckland beach has raised more than $7000.

Portia Lilly Deluen, who was one of three siblings, and an identical twin, died on Tuesday after an outing with her friends at Karekare Beach in West Auckland.

Her father's employer set up a Givealittle page on Thursday, to help Deluen's family through 'this tremendously difficult and heartbreaking time'.

Karekare Beach, pictured on the day Portia Deluen died after getting caught in a rip on Tuesday.

By 11am on Friday, the page had raised more than $7500.

* Teenager dies after rip rescue at Auckland's Karekare Beach

* Body found in search for swimmer who went missing at Karekare Beach

The page said Deluen left behind her mum and dad, as well as a twin sister and a brother.

According to Surf Life Saving New Zealand, Deluen was one of four teenagers that were caught in a rip at the West Auckland beach on Tuesday, shortly after midday.

Three members of the Karekare Surf Life Saving Club's emergency call out squad attended within eight minutes of being notified.

While three of the teens managed to make it to shore, Deluen had to be retrieved by a lifeguard with a rescue tube.

Lifeguards performed CPR on her for 10 minutes until the Auckland Rescue Helicopter arrived and flew her to the hospital.

Deluen died shortly after arriving at Starship Hospital.

She was supposed to have returned to school on Wednesday, when her high school re-opened after the lockdown.