Ukrainian schoolgirl, 14, ‘fell from seawall before drowning’ as mum makes heartbreaking plea

A heartbroken mother has made an emotional appeal after a Ukrainian schoolgirl was killed when she fell off a seawall.

Albina Yevko, 14, was tragically found in the sands of Dawlish Bay, Devon, on Saturday evening March 4th.

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Albina was born in Ukraine but lived with her mother Inna in an apartment in the coastal town.

The teenager was a fugitive who fled the Russian invasion in May last year and has since attended Dawlish College.

On that fateful day in March, Albina was found unconscious on the beach, having previously been reported missing.

She was flown to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where she tragically died the following morning.

Four months later, Albina’s grieving mother, Inna, and her friend Rosie Dawson have asked Network Rail to install handrails or lighting by sea.

Rosie told MailOnline: “There is nothing that prevents someone from falling. There is nothing stopping someone who has tripped or been distracted by a train or their phone.”

“There could be lights, there could be glowing paint at the very edge, there could be railings.”

“This is a child’s life and it could be another child’s life. Or it could be someone with a baby in a stroller.”

Speaking of her daughter, Inna added: “She wasn’t just my daughter. She was everything to me.”

An inquest into her death has been opened at Exeter Coroner’s Court and although a final post-mortem is still required, the provisional cause of death is given as ‘multiple injuries’.

A full investigative hearing will take place at a later date.

A fundraiser to support Albina’s family was launched shortly after the tragedy, raising almost £3,400.

In a statement, Network Rail said: “We were saddened to hear of the death of Albina Yevko and we met with the family to express our condolences and to discuss their concerns regarding the seawall. After the sea wall collapsed in 2014, we conducted a risk assessment of the wall.

“Once we have completed the new seawall at Dawlish we will conduct a new risk assessment to determine if there have been any changes that would impact the level of risk in the area.

“Given the harsh coastal environment, it would be difficult to effectively install and maintain handrails along all sections of the seawall.

“All options will be considered as part of the new risk assessment.”

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