Tragedy hits Turkish Cypriot family as Azra Kemal falls 40ft to her death in Kent

A young woman whose car caught fire fell to her death from a bridge while searching for help, police have said.

Azra Kemal, 24, from London, was found on land below the A21 dual carriageway near Tonbridge, Kent, in the early hours of Thursday, 16 July. The LSE law graduate was pronounced dead at the scene at 03.20am.

Her mother Nevres Kemal, 55, said her daughter’s last words were “please don’t let me die.”

Detectives looking into the tragic incident said they believed Azra fell while desperately looking for help after the car she was in caught on fire. They have appealed for witnesses.

A spokesman said: “Detectives investigating the circumstances around the death of a woman who fell from a bridge on the A21 are satisfied there are no suspicious circumstances and are now preparing a report for the coroner.”

“The woman, who was 24 and from London, is understood to have fallen while seeking assistance after a car she was travelling in caught alight,” they added.

Azra is thought to have fallen 40ft through a 10ft void between the two carriageways in a freak accident, after climbing over the barriers in the dark seeking to cross the central reservation, not realising the stretch of the road she was on was a bridge, with a separate bridge for the road coming in the other direction.

She had called her mum just minutes earlier to tell her she was on her way home from a night with friends.

Her devastated mother told the Daily Mail she was “in total shock” after finding out from police that her only daughter had passed away. She told reporters Azra was “really and truly the air that I breathe” and that their Whetstone home in North London felt “empty” without her.

Mrs Kemal is an experienced social worker who bravely exposed the failings in child care in Haringey before Baby P died in 2007, and was subsequently forced out of her job for being a whistle-blower.

Anyone who has information that can assist the inquiry about Azra’s tragic death should call Kent Police on 01622 604100, quoting 16-0120.