A woman died and five others, including a four-year-old girl, were injured when a 100-foot tall eucalyptus tree collapsed on a wedding party in California on Saturday, December 17.
A Whittier Police Department spokesperson said that they received multiple 911 calls and on arrival, their teams saw several members of the wedding party trapped underneath the massive tree. The incident occurred at around 4.30 pm on Saturday at Whittier in Los Angeles County.
Police said that they immediately set on trying to free people trapped under the tree with multiple trunks. Ultimately, the Los Angeles County Fire Department had to use chainsaws to cut the branches and rescue people from the spot.
The fire department spokesperson said that five people were rushed to hospital with injuries. Most of the injuries were minor scrapes and bruises.
The officials did not divulge much information about the victims, except for a four-year-old who suffered head injuries and was in critical condition.
"We're trying to make sure we're giving all the dignity and respect to that family. They were here for a joyous occasion and then unfortunately a very large tree interrupted that and they right now are going through a lot of issues that we're trying to make sure [we] support," the fire department spokesperson was quoted as saying by Washington Post.
It was reported that the tree had collapsed on the wedding party members when they were taking pictures after the ceremony at the park.
