The tightly knit village of Lions Bay, B.C., is mourning the death of seven-year-old Erin Kate Moore, who was killed in a rock slide while hiking with friends and family on Monday morning.

Erin was struck and killed while out with a hiking group on Unnecessary Mountain, located north of Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway.

Lions Bay Search and Rescue rushed to the trail to try to save Erin Kate Moore, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. (Twitter)

Moore had stopped to take photographs near Lonetree Creek when rocks came crashing down the creek bed, burying her.

Rescuers dug the girl out and performed CPR, but despite their best efforts, the young girl died on site. Nobody else was hurt.

Her parents, Elizabeth and Michael Moore, said they lost their "beautiful daughter in a tragic freak accident while doing what our family loves doing - walking in mountains."

Here is the full statement:

Her parents said they have been blessed to have had almost eight 'rich, action-packed years with Erin that are brimming with beautiful memories.' (Elizabeth Moore)

Yesterday we lost our beautiful daughter in a tragic freak accident while doing what our family loves doing - walking in mountains. A section of the bank under which she was standing fell on top of her; the boulders afflicted severe internal wounds from which she was not able to recover.

Erin will be remembered for her grit, her deeply gentle and caring yet sparky personality. Her eclectic dress sense surprised us every morning; she could turn a tea towel into a tiara!

We have been blessed with almost 8 rich, action-packed years with Erin that are brimming with beautiful memories. A friend captures exactly how we will remember her: ''What a life that little girl lived and how loved she was! In her life she did more travelling than most have done in their adult years. She was tough as nails and sweet as candy all in one package. I will never forget 2 years ago when she hiked the Lions with us and kicked our butts making it to the top in her Hello Kitty running shoes'’.

The support we’ve had from the Lion’s Bay, Furry Creek and school communities is deeply appreciated. Friends can record their special memories of her at a memorial set up at Lion’s Bay Village Hall.

Elizabeth and Michael Moore

Community memorial

There were 19 other hikers on the trail with Erin when she was killed, including her mother and brother, and counselling services are being offered.

Others are encouraged to gather at the village hall, where flags are lowered to half-mast and a memorial is being created, Mayor Karl Buhr said.

It's believed recent heavy rains destabilized the slope, leading to the rock slide. The mayor of Lions Bay village said a number of local trails will be closed for a safety assessment.

"We probably will as a precaution, until we can assess the trails above the village, close all of them," said Buhr on Tuesday morning.

"This is a tight-knit village, the family is extremely well-known, strong participants in just about everything the village did, so it's not something ... there's no real protocol here and we're ... flying by the seat of our pants, I suppose," said Buhr.

"But I do know that the village will pull together. Family and friends will support the family, but the village will do something as well.

"We are putting up a remembrance board outside the village hall and we are hoping people will come and spare a thought, light a candle, put up a picture in memory of the family that means so much to us," he said.

The family is originally from South Africa, but now lives in Furry Creek, just north of Lions Bay.

Neighbour Margareth Van Til is one of the neighbours mourning the girl's death.

Friends and family say Erin loved to hike with the family. (Elizabeth Moore)

"Erin was a delightful, delightful little spirit and the parents were delightful, letting her be," she said.

"She will be sorely missed of course, but she will never be forgotten."

Van Til hopes to help family members, who had relatives visiting for the holidays on Monday.

"I can offer my house, because I run a bed and breakfast. People can stay for free, that is maybe what I can do," she said.

She added, "I'm still mustering up the courage to go over and see [the family] ...What are you going to say? She was a bright light and we can all feel lucky that we had her in our lives."