Tributes to Africa crash victim

Helen O'Connell was planning to return to the UK

Tributes have been paid to a British charity worker who died following a road accident in west Africa.

Helen O'Connell was in a taxi with her boyfriend Kentaro Taguchi, 27, in Benin when the vehicle was in a smash.

The 25-year-old, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, was discharged from local hospital but died later. The official cause of her death is not yet known.

Miss O'Connell, of Heaton Moor, had been working as an unpaid English teacher at a school in Ghana.

She would have marked her birthday on 25 May, but had planned to put celebrations on hold until getting back to the UK in June.

You may be gone, Helen, but you and that big smile will never be forgotten Facebook tribute

Helen's boyfriend Kentaro survived the road accident on 10 May.

Her twin sister, Sally, is among those who have left tributes on the social networking website, Facebook.

She said Helen had lived an amazing life and was "living her dream" in Africa.

"She was an extraordinary, loving, caring person and she was my twin sister and my best friend. I'll love her forever.

"She meant the world to me and will always be with me."

A series of messages have been left on her Facebook page from people all over the world, including children she taught in Ghana.

One read: "God needed a new angel for his garden, sadly for us he chose Helen.

"You may be gone, Helen, but you and that big smile will never be forgotten."

Helen also leaves behind her father Michael, mother Jude younger sister Alice and brother Patrick Santos.

Her body has yet to be flown back to England.