Tributes to Smethwick man and daughter who died in Turkey

Tributes have been paid to a Smethwick man and his eight-year-old daughter who died in a crash in Turkey.

Jonathon Pearce and his daughter, named as Charley in reports, were on a Jeep safari trip when they were killed on Monday.

Mr Pearce’s eight-year-old nephew is in a “critical, but stable condition”, according to the Foreign Office, while five other members of the extended family and another British national suffered minor injuries.

Mr Pearce’s neighbour in Primhose Hill spoke of her shock at the tragedy which had struck a “very close family”.

Chris Whitby said: “They really are a lovely family – such a hard-working family, they work such long hours.”

Mr Pearce, reported to be aged 38, and his wife Joanne had two daughters described as ‘little blonde girls’ by Mrs Whitby.

“They are very involved with her own family – a very devoted family. They do everything together and all the relatives come round.”

Mr Pearce, she said, ran a nearby florist, a “family business”, and previously worked for Sandwell Council’s garden department.

Earlier, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that two British nationals died and seven were injured in a road traffic accident whilst on a Jeep safari in Turkey yesterday. We understand the driver of the Jeep they were in is being detained.”

The family, who were part of a larger group excursion, are receiving consular advice while local police investigate the incident, which took place near Dalyan.

Mr Pearce and his daughter had been holidaying with First Choice, who were not the organisers of the safari trip.

A spokeswoman said: “First Choice regrets to confirm that two of its customers, an eight-year-old girl and her father, were tragically killed and a third customer is in critical condition following a vehicle accident. We would like to express our heartfelt sympathy to family and friends during this deeply sad time.”

It was reported that the incident occurred when the driver of the open top vehicle was squirted in the eyes with a water pistol and lost control, hitting a tractor.

The First Choice spokeswoman said: “At this stage, we are unable to confirm exact details of the accident, however, we can confirm that the customers were on a Jeep safari organised by a third party not affiliated with First Choice.”

Resort staff were offering support and assistance to the family, she said.