Parents 'living in a nightmare' after tree kills girl

The parents of a seven-year-old girl killed by a falling branch as she played in a park said they were "still living the nightmare of the day" a year later.

Leonna Ruka, from Dagenham in east London, was on a family outing to Southend-on-Sea when she suffered a fatal head injury on 28 June 2025.

Four other children were injured, including Leonna's six-year-old cousin, who was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Parents Leo and Floreta Ruka said their lives changed forever as a result of their "beautiful" daughter's death, adding it still felt "impossible".

"It feels as though we are still living the nightmare of the day she was taken from us," they said, in a statement supplied to the BBC.

"There are no words that can truly capture the pain of losing a child. The last year has been the longest and most difficult of our lives.

"While the world has continued to move forward, for those who loved Leonna, there remains a space that can never be filled."

Leonna was playing in Chalkwell Park when she was struck by a "falling part of a tree", the opening of an inquest into her death heard.

She was taken to Southend Hospital, where her death was confirmed at 16:06 BST.

Up to 50 people tried to lift the 350-year-old tree when it partially collapsed.

A senior councillor later claimed it had been propped up by supports for decades.

Leonna's parents said she was an extraordinary person whose "kindness, loving heart, caring nature and positive energy" delighted others.

"We remain profoundly proud of the person Leonna was and the impact she had on those fortunate enough to know her," they continued.

"She had a future that should have been hers. We think about that every day."

Essex Police and the Health and Safety Executive have been investigating the incident.

Well-wishers are invited to sign a book in Leonna's memory at Chalkwell Park between 10:00 and 15:00 on the first anniversary of her death on Sunday.

Leo and Floreta Ruka added: "Leonna was our daughter, our pride and our joy.

"We miss her beyond words, we love her beyond measure, and we will honour her memory for the rest of our lives."

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