Three people, including a 10-month-old girl, were killed after a tree fell during an Easter egg hunt in Germany on Sunday morning, authorities reported.
The incident occurred in a wooded area near the town of Satrupholm around 11 a.m. About 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women, and children were attending the event when a 100-foot tree toppled onto them, police said.
Four people were pinned under the tree. First responders arrived to find a 21-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl, both of whom died at the scene. The woman’s 10-month-old daughter later died at a hospital. An 18-year-old woman sustained serious injuries and was taken to the hospital by helicopter.
The residential facility is part of the German state’s child welfare system, supporting pregnant women and new mothers in need, according to its website. Grief counselors were dispatched to assist attendees after the tragic event.
Photos from the scene showed scattered Easter eggs and two victims covered by white sheets. The German weather service had issued a high winds warning for the area at the time of the incident.
Officials from Schleswig-Holstein expressed their condolences. Regional Governor Daniel Günther, Interior Minister Magdalena Finke, and Youth and Families Minister Aminata Touré issued a joint statement, calling the event “deeply shaken” and extending sympathies to victims and their families.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
