'Devastated' husband pays tribute to his 'beautiful wife' after tragic death in park

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The husband of a Blackburn woman who was tragically killed when a large branch fell on her in a park said the family are 'devastated' and 'heartbroken'.

The family also called for privacy and asked to be able to grieve in peace following the death of Madia Kauser, 32, who was hit by the falling branch while walking with her children, on Monday evening.

The incident happened in Witton Park where tributes have been left for the mother-of-two Madia by people from across the town. Her funeral was held on Thursday afternoon at the Madina Mosque on Oak Street.

Husband Wasim Khan said: "As a family we are devastated and heartbroken at losing our beloved Madia.

"We went to the park for the kids to have a day out and she wanted to go for a walk. My son loves playing football and my daughter loves letting her mum push her on the swing."

He revealed they had decided to head home when tragedy struck.

He said: "My son kicked the ball away and I went to kick it back to him as my wife and daughter walked along the path when I heard a loud crack. I instantly turned around and saw the tree split and my wife push my daughter forward to take the brunt of the impact."

The funeral for Madia took place on Thursday and this picture was released with the poignant message saying 'mum'. The family said they did not wish to share any images of Madia and those circulated were from social media (Image: Nq) Paramedics arrived and despite their best efforts Madia passed away.

He said: "My wife was the most beautiful person. Who lived for everyone but herself, a woman who put everyone ahead of her and she was the best mother any child could ask for.

"A wife that any person would dream of being with. She was loyal, cheerful and will always be my one and only sweetheart. Both my children are left without their mother.

"I can't begin to describe what she meant to me. If I was down, she would just enter the room and my mood would be lifted and I would always tell myself how lucky I am."

Wasim said he would like to thank the local emergency services for their support and the community for their kind messages.

"This has been very difficult time for the family and we would like to thank everyone from across all communities who have sent kind messages of support at this tragic time.

"We kindly ask that members of the media please refrain from calling at our home and contacting us and let us grieve in peace.

"We ask to grieve in private. We hope the privacy of the family and, the wider family and friends can be respected at this time."

Blackburn with Darwen council said it was investigating the incident and working with police to find out more about the circumstances of the incident.

All police cordons have been removed and the park is open as usual.