A large Christmas tree fell over during stormy weather, killing a 63-year-old woman and injuring two others in the Belgian city of Oudenaarde. The tree, which was 20 meters (66 feet) high, was adorned with lights and stood next to a Christmas market in the historic town square.
As a merry-go-round turned, the tree slowly leaned over and then collapsed, causing the accident.
The victim was a 63-year-old woman from Oudenaarde, and two women from the same town sustained light injuries. A spokesman for the Oost-Vlaanderen province prosecutor stated that the investigation would focus on whether the tree had been properly secured and would also examine the impact of the weather.
Storm Pia, which disrupted traffic in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, also hit western Belgium, where a yellow code warning was issued for coastal areas. The storm caused a death in the Netherlands, where a woman died from her injuries after being hit by a falling tree on Thursday, according to her employer, ZoZijn.
