Part of a Chinese school exchange trip has been abandoned after one of the girl students was allegedly stabbed to death by another at a suburban n home.
A 13-year-old girl accused of murdering her friend, 14, remains in custody while her parents are expected to fly in from their home in China to speak to detectives.
They were part of a group of 15 Chinese students on an exchange trip from schools in China associated with the Newcastle Waldorf School in the NSW Hunter region.
The two teenagers had been staying with hosts Steve Moloney and Tracey Taylor at their home in Edgeworth, Newcastle.
The couple had gone to bed on Monday evening when they allegedly heard a commotion and discovered the 14-year-old fatally wounded.
Police arrested the 13-year-old at the scene.
The Newcastle Waldorf School this week held a candlelit ceremony but classmates revealed the other Chinese students on the trip were too traumatised to attend.
They have not been seen since the tragedy unfolded, one student revealed.
‘There are around 15 of them, across a few year groups, but none of them came back to school again,’ they told the Daily Mail.
‘Some had made good friends here, but I don’t think we will see them again before they leave on Saturday.
‘We sang, lit candles and laid flowers to remember the girl who lost her life.
‘The school has offered counselling to us and we have been making cards for the other students who came with them.’
It is believed the alleged victim and her alleged killer did not know each other before making the trip to on the study program.
‘Most of the kids met for the first time at the airport in China,’ said the student.
‘But they had ten hours together before arriving in and saw each other every day, so the news was really shocking to all of them.’
The Newcastle school’s co-principals, Peter Muddle and Tracey Ashton, said they had arranged extra counselling to support everyone through this very difficult time.
‘We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic incident involving two visiting Chinese students who have been in since last week as part of a tour group,’ they said in a joint statement.
‘Our priority has been to ensure care and professional support is in place for our school community, as well as for the visiting students and their carers who find themselves dealing with grief far away from their families.’
They also confirmed the teenagers’ host couple were not affiliated with the school.
‘The tragedy occurred at a residence where both students were billeted,’ the statement continued.
‘Although the host family is not connected with our school, we are thinking of them as they too must cope with this ordeal.’
It’s understood the group were from various Waldorf schools across China and are scheduled to leave Newcastle on Saturday before spending a further week in .
A Waldorf or Steiner school is based on the educational philosophy of German Rudolf Steiner, which emphasises a holistic approach to education.
The school focuses on intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual development rather than just academic performance.
The program is held by Beijing-based tour agency Depu and run by Italian Amerigo Sivelli.
The tour in is the second this year, with another group of students enjoying the same three-week itinerary in April.
After the planned two weeks in Newcastle, the students were due to visit more of before returning home.
‘After a marvellous time at the Newcastle Waldorf School, we took our Chinese students travelling to Sydney and Melbourne,’ the company posted to Facebook in April alongside images of the trip.
‘We focused on the relationship between First Nations People (Aboriginal people) and Western colonisation in n art as well as on nature connection activities.
‘Opening up to new questions makes us more vulnerable and fragile, but it’s also a courageous step towards our future.’
It is not known if the remaining tour – which is understood to include a tour of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria – is going ahead.
Strike Force Aggnes has been established and an investigation is underway with the assistance of the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.
The 13-year-old has been charged with murder and remains in custody after appearing before a Children’s Court on Wednesday.
The court heard that the 13-year-old was travelling with an ‘extraordinary,’ amount of medication.
Daily Mail contacted the program organisers, who said they were ‘too busy’ to comment on the death of the child.