CCTV footage captured the moment the 66ft-high tree fell down in stormy weather in the city of Oudenaarde.
A woman has died and two others have been injured after a large Christmas tree toppled over in a busy Belgian market.
CCTV footage captured the moment the 66ft-high tree fell down in stormy weather in the city of Oudenaarde, Belgium, on Thursday.
The footage showed the brightly lit tree slowly begin to lean over, then collapse next to a Christmas market as a merry-go-round turned nearby in the historic square.
The incident is being investigated, a spokesman for the Oost-Vlaanderen province prosecutor said.
“The investigation will focus on whether the tree had been properly secured and will also look at the impact of the weather,” the spokesman said.
The victim was a 63-year-old woman from Oudenaarde, while two other women suffered minor injuries in the incident.
Storm Pia, which caused disruption in the UK and the Netherlands on Thursday, also hit western Belgium, where the weather service issued a yellow code warning for the coastal areas.
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In the Netherlands, a woman died after she was hit by a falling tree, according to healthcare organisation ZoZijn.
The woman, who was employed by ZoZijn, was cycling past the tree when it fell on her on Thursday, the organisation said
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
