Celebrations turned into chaos for a wedding party in the US state of California when a huge tree came crashing down on them while they were clicking photos, killing a woman and injuring at least five others.
A birthday party was apparently also taking place nearby in the busy Penn Park in Whittier in southern California when the large eucalyptus tree fell yesterday.
A witness described the tree as splitting in two and hitting several people, according to reports.
More than 100 firefighters responded to an emergency call as up to 20 people were trapped, they said. Chainsaws were used to remove those who were trapped underneath the branches.
Officials said while the tree's weakness could be linked to the California drought, there were no indications that trees in the area were vulnerable to falling.
A woman was killed while at least five others suffered injuries in the incident, reports said, adding that among those injured was a 4-year-old girl in critical condition due to head trauma.
Witness Gilbert Duran posted a video on Facebook saying he was attending a birthday party in the park when the tree fell. He said he and some friends were under the tree taking photographs shortly before it fell, but moved to a different location for better light.
That was when the wedding party moved under the tree, he said.
"We walk away and five minutes later this thing collapses on a whole wedding party," he said. "I just seen a bunch of kids, little kids ... They were running for their life and this thing just fell on top of them. I watched them go flat."
Jason Zuhlke of the Whittier Police Department said the scene was "very chaotic".
Rene Zaldivar, who was at the park for the birthday party, said he saw the bride during the chaos. "She was limping a little bit, but she was screaming about her mom - they couldn't wake her up.
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