Falling 200yo oak kills 13 in Portugal

A falling tree has killed 13 people during a religious ceremony on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Fallen oak tree

Bodies have been removed from where a tree fell on a large crowd in Madeira, killing 13. (AAP)

Seven people remain in hospital a day after a falling tree killed 13 and injured 49 during a religious ceremony on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Among those still at the hospital were five adults and two children aged two and 14 years respectively, Miguel Reis, a doctor at Funchal Hospital, told reporters.

Reis said that among the 13 people who were killed when the massive oak fell on Tuesday were eight females and five males.

He said a one-year-old boy and two foreigners, whose nationalities have not been made public, were among the dead.

The incident took place at around midday on Tuesday in the village of Monte on the outskirts of Funchal, the capital of Madeira, when the tree fell onto dozens of people who had gathered for the Roman Catholic Feast of the Assumption.

Ambulances were shown pulling away from the site while workers wielding chain saws cut away limbs from an enormous tree on the ground.

Hundreds of people had congregated for the start of the procession at the time the oak collapsed.

Madeira's regional government has declared three days of mourning over the tragedy.

Local media reports described the tree as an oak more than 200 years old. Regional authorities say they are investigating what caused it to come crashing down.


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Source: AAP


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