20-meter fir tree kills woman in Belgium
A visit to a Christmas market in Belgium ends fatally for a woman: a 20-metre-high fir tree cannot withstand a gust of wind and topples over. Two other people survive the tragic incident with injuries. It is unclear whether the Christmas tree was poorly secured.
At a Christmas market in Belgium, a woman was killed by a 20-metre-high fir tree. The coniferous tree was unable to withstand a strong gust of wind on Thursday evening, reported the Belgian news agency Belga.
The tree fell on three people, one of whom died a short time later in hospital from her serious injuries. It is still unclear whether the huge, festively decorated Christmas tree was poorly secured. The scene of the accident at the Christmas market in the city of Oudenaarde was cordoned off and investigated after the accident.
The broadcaster VRT reported, citing an eyewitness, that around 20 people lifted the tree immediately after the accident and freed two of the victims. The third person was then rescued by rescue workers. Video footage shows the tree first leaning, then swaying and finally falling over.
According to the Dutch daily newspaper "Nieuwsblad ", the accident occurred at around 7 pm. Many visitors were reportedly already at the Christmas market at this time. The tree is said to have fallen in the direction of a winter market where there were several children's attractions.
Read also:
- Snow chaos further restricts Bavaria
- "Zoltan" sweeps across the country - disruptions to rail traffic
- Unanimous decision: faster wolf culls possible
- The year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
Despite the tragedy, international attention was drawn to the incident, with news outlets reporting on the incident worldwide. The police in Belgium are currently investigating the incident to determine the cause of the tree falling.
Source: www.ntv.de
