A tourist swept to her death by a wave at a Hebridean beauty spot was officially named last night as a 50-year-old London-based professional photographer and mum-of-two.
Agnès Proudhon-Smith, who ran a studio in London, was taking photographs from rocks at Nisabost beach on the Isle of Harris when tragedy struck on Wednesday morning.
Three companions, understood to be part of a photography group visiting the Hebrides from England, watched in horror.
The alarm was raised at 8am.
The Coastguard sent the Stornoway-based rescue helicopter, teams from Scalpay, Tarbert and Stornoway, and the Leverburgh RNLI lifeboat.
The photographer was recovered from the water by the helicopter and taken to the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway, on neighbouring Lewis, but Police Scotland confirmed she had died.
Police Scotland last night revealed she was Ms Proudhon-Smith and released a photo provided by her family.
She ran a studio in London called Funphoto and specialised in family and child portraits.
However, she was also known for her landscape photography and was recently in Greenland.
Earlier this month, she discovered that 15 images taken in Valencia last year gained her a Royal Photographic Society ARPS distinction.
A police spokesman said: “We can now confirm the identity of the woman who died in an incident at Nisabost beach on the Isle of Harris.
“She was Agnes Proudhon-Smith, 50, from the London area.
“Inquiries remain ongoing into the incident, although there are no apparent suspicious circumstances.”
Councillor Paul Finnegan, a member of the local coastguard team, said: “It is just terrible, absolutely awful.
“The lady was a tourist who had been taking photographs from rocks and she was hit by waves and knocked into the water.
“She was with a small group of people who were with her at the time, but couldn’t do anything to help her.”