200 year old tree falls and kills 11 people in Portugal

At least 11 people including two children were crushed to death when a tree crashed down on crowds as they bought candles for a religious festival on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Reports suggest the tree which fell was an oak that was about 200 years old. It fell scattering people who were out enjoying the religious festivities in the sunshine.

People had gathered outside a church in the town to celebrate the Roman Catholic Feast of the Assumption, which takes place on Tuesday before the tragedy struck.

Emergency services have since flooded the area after the disaster to treat the scores of injured people.

Madeira, a popular destination for European tourists, is the largest of a group of Portuguese islands in the north Atlantic Ocean, south-west of the Portuguese mainland.