Security camera footage, widely circulated on Belgian news media, captured the brightly lit 20-meter-high Christmas tree slowly leaning over and collapsing next to a Christmas market.
The spokesperson for the Oost-Vlaanderen province prosecutor confirmed the victim’s identity as a 63-year-old woman from Oudenaarde. Two other women from the same town suffered light injuries during the incident.
The investigation will delve into whether the tree had been adequately secured and will also assess the impact of the weather. Storm Pia, which had already disrupted traffic in the UK and the Netherlands, reached western Belgium on the fateful evening. The weather service had issued a yellow code warning for coastal areas, raising questions about the role of weather conditions in the tragic tree collapse.
