A girl who died after a tree fell in a park in Essex has been named as Leonna Ruka.
The seven-year-old girl was tragically killed by a tree collapsing in Chalkwell Park, Southend-on-Sea, while a six-year-old girl was left in critical condition and remains in hospital.
Paying tribute, Leonna's family described her as "the light of their lives".
They said in a statement: “It is with broken hearts and unimaginable pain that we share the devastating loss of our beloved daughter Leonna – our beautiful, bright, and loving little girl, taken from us far too soon.
“Leonna was more than just a child – she was a light in our lives and in the lives of everyone who had the joy of meeting her."
They said she was intelligent and had a curious soul, was full of energy and brimming with creativity.
“She had a heart full of love and a mind full of endless ideas.
"She was funny, kind, and full of life – a shining star who brought happiness wherever she went and she met,” they added.
The seven-year-old, from Dagenham in east London, had been visiting Southend-on-Sea with family when the tree collapsed.
Three more children received minor injuries and received hospital treatment.
Essex Police were called to the park shortly before 3pm on Saturday, to “a number of casualties”.
Accountant Ishan Madan, 39, from Westcliff-on-Sea, was playing in a cricket match nearby when he heard a “horrendous, screeching scream”, which was followed by "40 or 50 people" trying to lift the fallen tree up with two girls trapped underneath.
Chief Superintendent Leighton Hammett of Essex Police said: “Families are facing unimaginable hardship this evening and all of our thoughts are with them at this time.
“I cannot begin to put into words how difficult today’s events have been, and continue to be, for them.
“It’s also not lost on me how traumatic it must have been for the members of the public who witnessed this awful incident.”
Mr Madan said: “Everyone ran towards the clubhouse, where the tree is.
“The tree had snapped and I think there were four children, the fifth one was slightly further away, I think she’d be hit by a branch.
“Two of them were under a smaller branch, they were rescued easily, and unfortunately, the other two girls, they were stuck under this massive tree.
“So we got bystanders to help, it must have been 40 to 50 people who then tried to lift the fallen tree up and to our horror, these two little girls, poor girls, were stuck underneath it.
“Their mother was on the corner. It was horrendous.”
Mr Madan said that he had heard the children were walking on a path when the tree fell.
He continued: “You’d never think something like this could happen and there were a lot of people at our club that were shocked, including myself.
“It was horrendous. It was like a nightmare that you’d sort of wake up from and then someone would tell you it wasn’t true. You couldn’t imagine kids walking in the park and something like this happening.”
Earlier in the day, an East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "Two children were transported by road to Southend University Hospital.
"A further three children were later transported by road to the same hospital with minor injuries."
Police have urged the public to avoid the area.
The fire service was also called.
Adam Hutchins, 47, told EssexLive: “I heard there were kids playing on the tree. They heard a big crack. It must have pretty loud. They went running over and there were kids underneath the tree.
"All the cricket guys ran over and tried to loft the tree up. I think it’s one of the oldest trees. It had metal stands propping it up.”
Leader of Southend-on-Sea City Council Daniel Cowan said: “I’m aware of this very serious incident. We’re working with Essex police, the Ambulance Service and Fire Service, who are still at the scene.
“I do understand that a tree has fallen, there’s a number of casualties and we’re just asking the public to avoid the area whilst those services carry out their work, and my thoughts are with those affected.”
