Fans were in tears as emotional scenes aired in the Dales after the second death was confirmed in the limo crash

Emmerdale star Roxy Shahidi has officially left the Dales after her character Leyla Harding was killed off during the aftermath of the horrific limo crash.

It was rumoured last year that Roxy would be leaving the show, and while many fans were hoping the door would be left open for the actress, her character instead suffered from a tragic death.

On Tuesday (February 18), medics came to help the villagers involved in the crash. Before the credits rolled, one character was declared dead before making it to the hospital.

During Wednesday night’s slot, it was revealed that it was Leyla who reached an untimely end. Jacob was enduring a chaotic shift at the hospital as the injured villagers were rushed in for urgent care.

Fans watched as he panicked after learning that his mum Leyla was involved in the crash, and he searched up and down in every ward to find her.

In a heartbreaking moment, he discovered the lifeless body of his mum and broke down in tears after a colleague informed him she was dead upon arrival. It was revealed that Leyla died from “severe blood loss” after she was impaled with a piece of ice during the crash.

Leyla hid her injury from the rest of the group, but shared with Kerry that she was unable to move as the two of them were the last ones remaining inside the limo. Kerry managed to drag her across the ice, but her injury was too traumatic and she died before making it to the hospital.

Leyla suffered from severe blood loss after the traumatic accident(Image: ITV)

She became the second confirmed death of the incident after Suzy Merton died from a fatal head injury caused by the impact of the crash. Her body entered the water alongside the limo as it submerged underneath the ice.

The 41-year-old actress first joined Emmerdale in 2008 part-time before taking on the role permanently in 2014, and has since become a fan favourite in the village.

Fans took to social media as they were heartbroken with her death. On Reddit, u/IllStyle wrote: “I was full blown crying at the tele pre-9am thanks to Jacob’s scenes. Very, very well done”.

u/ThemHeavyPeople121 added: “It was just annoying poor Leyla I always liked her! She should have just moved to Portugal (?) where her sister Alicia is!”

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), @LoveSoapsntv penned: “I’m never gonna get over how cruel her death storyline has been! Goodnight Ley” @oliviasjareau echoed: “my heart is so broken, I wasn’t ready to lose Leyla”.

Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.