Fall girl's mother drowned in sea

Gianna's mother, Sara Cooper, had not been seen since Monday

The mother of a girl who fell from a hotel balcony in Majorca drowned in the sea nearby.

Spanish police said there was no sign Sara Cooper, 45, of Foxton, Cambs, had been pushed into the water.

Her daughter Gianna, seven, remains in a coma after falling 30ft (10m) at the nearby hotel where they were staying with Gianna's father and brothers.

Police said only Gianna would be able to say if she was pushed or fell at the Hotel Samoa in Calas de Majorca.

Mrs Cooper's body was recovered in a cave in Cala Domingos, 165 yards (150m) from Hotel Samoa.

'Two possibilities'

On Thursday Majorca police said they could not rule out the possibility that both acts may have been criminal.

But a police spokeswoman has since said there were no signs of violence or indications that Mrs Cooper was pushed.

Gianna fell from the balcony of a room she was sharing with Mrs Cooper.

A police spokeswoman said: "We are considering two possibilities; that [Gianna] fell by accident or that someone pushed her.

"These are the only two possibilities at the moment.

"The girl is currently in a coma. Police cannot speak to her until she is better but I imagine the police will want to see if she remembers anything.

"We must take a lot of care and wait until she is better. There is also the possibility that she won't remember anything."

'Devastating news'

Mrs Cooper, her husband and three of their children had been staying at the hotel on a half-term break when the incident happened.

By the time an ambulance had arrived at the scene of Gianna's fall Mrs Cooper had disappeared.

Gianna's father Ian Cooper, who was sharing a room with his two sons, said the news of the discovery of his wife's body was "devastating".

"I would be grateful to the media if they could respect my family's privacy in order for us to concentrate on the recovery of my daughter who continues to make good progress and the wellbeing of my three sons," he said.

Family support

A vigil took place in St Laurence Church in the family's Cambridgeshire village in memory of Sara Cooper.

Reverend Christopher Strong said the service was "an opportunity to come to express our care and concern and to pray for the Cooper family, to pray for the complete recovery of Gianna and also to mourn the tragic death of Sara Cooper."

A neighbour of the family, who attended the service, said: "Sara was a wonderful mother and no one can believe it.

"We will do everything we can to support the family when they come home."