Police and health and safety officials are investigating after a five-year-old girl was killed by a falling tree in a park in east London.

Alexia Walenkaki from Poplar was playing in Mile End Park on Friday evening when the tree, to which a zip wire was attached, collapsed.

Officers were called just after 5.30pm on Friday and attended the scene with London ambulance service, which found the girl in cardiac arrest. She was taken to the Royal London hospital, where she died at 6.43pm.

The girl’s mother, Vida Kwotuah, told the London Evening Standard that she had been watching her daughter playing in the park when the tree fell.

“She was playing with three other girls in the play area and just a few minutes before it happened, she came and sat on my lap and we were chatting,” she said.

“She had a drink and I told her we were going to leave in 15 minutes so not to go far. She said: ‘OK mummy’ and ran back towards the play area. She loved being at the park, we went around five times a week.

“I was watching her every move, I sat where I could see her and keep an eye on her. All of a sudden I see this log falling down and I started screaming.”

Kwotuah added: “Just moments before she was on my lap, then she was lying there in the recovery position and people were doing CPR on her. I was just in shock.”

She described her daughter as “a happy, loving, sociable girl, very intelligent and very likeable.

“I keep expecting to walk into a room and see her on the floor playing with her dolls. We shared a bed together and I keep rolling over expecting to see her, but she’s not there.”

The five-year-old’s identity was confirmed in a tweet by the local neighbourhood policing team, which also dismissed false rumours on social media that her death had been as a result of a violent assault.

“We would like to express our sincerest condolences to the family of Alexia Walenkaki, who tragically died in Mile End Park on Friday,” read a tweet from the account @MPSMileEnd.

A special assembly and prayers were held on Monday morning at Alexia’s school, Stepney Greencoat Church of England primary. The school referred inquiries to Tower Hamlets council, which said it could not comment while an investigation was under way. “The council would like to extend its deepest sympathies to the family involved,” said a spokeswoman.

Bismarck Amoo-Mensah, Alexia’s uncle, told the newspaper he had attended the service and said: “I’ve been taking her to school every day, along with my two children. It’s so hard. I woke up today expecting to take them all to school as usual. My children are taking it very hard, they did everything together. We are all suffering but trying to be strong for Alexia’s mother, she’s in a lot of pain.”



A postmortem examination will take place on Wednesday and a joint investigation has been launched by the Metropolitan police and the Health and Safety Executive.

Scotland Yard said its investigation would be led by detectives from the homicide and major crime command due to the complex circumstances surrounding the incident.

Anyone who witnessed the accident should call police on 020 8345 3715.