Mother, 40, who fled Ukraine to live in Australia killed after swept off rocks in front of family on holiday beach visit

The woman was killed in front of her horrified family during a beach visit. Olya Tikhanova, 40, was on a week-long holiday with her husband and 14-year-old daughter when she swept off rocks while taking a photo on Saturday (4 January) at Salmon Beach in Australia.

She was pulled from the water but could not be saved. Ms Tikhanova emigrated to Perth from the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, one of the epicentres of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ms Tikhanova's husband Vlad had secured a job as a welder with Alloy Steel International in Perth just days before Russia invaded in 2022.

He later brought over his wife and daughter, with Ms Tikhanova also securing a job with Alloy Steel, according to the West Australian. A GoFundMe page has been set up and so far has raised almost $22,000.

The page states: “Our little light stopped shining and our life became darker. The overflowing stream of kindness, laughter, warmth, love and radiance stopped.

“Without a doubt, the people who were touched by her spirit will never forget her. Olya made people around her better, and the memory of her will keep them that way.”

Ms Tikhanova's death followed that of tourist Faycal Al Saidi, 32, who was also swept off rocks at Salmon Beach in 2020. His body was never found but an inquest held in 2022 ruled that he had drowned. Since the start of summer on December 1, there have been 44 drownings across Australia.