A MINUTE'S silence will be held today at a French Alpine ski resort in memory of the South Devon teenager who died tragically after an accident on a school trip.

Nicolas Rubin, the mayor of Châtel, the ski resort where 14-year-old Kieran Brookes (pictured) had a freak chair lift accident, revealed that every chair lift will stop while townspeople attend a commemoration service at the top of the mountain where the accident happened a month ago.

The 40-year-old father of two young children said he had been deeply affected by the events.

He said: "Everyone here is feeling down and gutted. We all feel for the family of this young lad.

"His death has been a huge shock to everyone here. It is something that people talk about not just here in Châtel but beyond. We have all been really affected by this.

"It is something we will not forget and we don't want to forget. In memory of the tragedy we will hold a minute's silence today at the time of the accident.

"Myself and others will go to the top of the chair lift where it happened. All chair lifts in the resort will be shut down for a minute in memory of this young lad."

Mr Rubin said that more than 12,000 people use the chair lift every day.

And 11 million visitors come to Châtel every winter without major incidents.

He added: "A death is very rare. It is so tragic. Morale here is rock bottom. We all understand how terrible this must be for the family."

Mr Rubin said Kieran's death had put a shadow over the whole season.

However he insisted that everyone on site would co-operate with the police.

Only last week, the French gendarmerie said the investigation would take several weeks to complete.

The chair on which Kieran sat at the time of the accident has been removed from the line and red police sealing tape has been fixed on it for the duration of the investigation.

Roy Pike, the head teacher at the Torquay Boys' Grammar School, where Kieran was a student, said he was really touched by the French commemoration event and insisted he would pass the regards and support of the people of Châtel onto Kieran's parents Nick and Cindy Brookes.

He said: "It's very thoughtful of them. I want to thank the people of Châtel for being so sensitive.

"I know there is an investigation in progress.

"Kieran's family are going through a painful ordeal which doesn't seem to end."

Kieran, from Newton Abbot, died last week after being flown home by his parents.

He had been left in a coma by the February 23 accident as he was getting off a lift during a half-term school skiing trip.

He was flown home after being cared for by specialists at a hospital in Annecy following the incident in the French Alps.

An inquest to take formal evidence of identity opened in Exeter on Monday.

The cause of death has yet to be announced as the results of histology tests are awaited.

Coroner's officer Mike Dommett said the international nature of the inquiry was such that a full inquest was unlikely to be held until next year.