It is the season of love and gifts, and many are excited about celebrating the birth of Jesus or just the end of the year, but tragedy is no respecter of seasons, as a Belgian has learned.
A woman died after a 20-metre-high Christmas tree fell on her at a Christmas market in Belgium, local media reported on Friday.
The Belgian news agency Belga said that the huge conifer at the Christmas market in Oudenaarde, some 50 kilometres west of Brussels could not withstand a strong gust of wind.
The tree fell on three people, one of whom died shortly later in the hospital from her serious injuries. It remained unclear whether the huge, festively decorated Christmas tree was poorly secured.
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Videos showed the tree moving dramatically in the wind before it fell. Local media cited Oudenaarde Mayor Marnic De Meulemeester as saying that heavy rains and winds had brought the tree down.
The scene of the accident was cordoned off and authorities were investigating.
The broadcaster VRT reported, citing an eyewitness, that around 20 people lifted the tree immediately after the accident to free two of the victims.
However, the third person was then rescued by emergency workers.
