3 killed as high winds topple a tree on an Easter egg hunt in Germany
[April 06, 2026]
By DAVID McHUGH
FRANKFURT,
Germany (AP) — Three people, including a 10-month-old girl, were killed
Sunday when high winds toppled a tree in northern Germany during an
Easter egg hunt, police said.
Around 50
people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant
women and children were attending the event in woods near the town of
Satrupholm at about 11 a.m. when a 30-meter (100-foot) tree fell on the
group, police said in a statement. |
Rescue workers are on the scene after an accident in a wooded area
south-east of Flensburg, Germany on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (Benjamin
Nolte/dpa via AP) |
|
Four people were pinned under the tree. A 21-year-old woman and
a 16-year-old girl were treated by first responders but died at
the scene, while the woman's 10-month old daughter died later in
the hospital. An 18-year-old woman suffered serious injuries and
was brought to the hospital by helicopter.
The facility is part of the state-funded child welfare system
and supports pregnant women and new mothers who need help,
according to its website. Grief counselors were sent to the
scene.
Pictures from the scene published by the Bild news site showed
several Easter eggs scattered on the ground and two of the
victims covered in white sheets.
The area had been under a high winds warning from the German
weather service.
Government officials from the Schleswig-Holstein region where
the facility was located said they were “deeply shaken” by the
accident.
“Our thoughts are with the family members of the dead, with the
injured, and with everyone who had to experience this terrible
occurrence,” regional Governor Daniel Günther, Interior Minister
Magdalena Finke, and Youth and Families Minister Aminata Touré
said in a joint statement carried by the dpa news agency.
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