At least 12 people have been crushed to death and another 50 injured at a Christian festival in Portugal after a tree toppled into a crowd of worshippers.
The accident on the island of Madeira during a large annual Catholic celebrations that draws thousands to pay homage to the local patron saint, Our Lady of the Mount.
The pilgrims were struck when a 200-year-old oak came down near a shrine in the hills above Madeira's capital Funchal on Tuesday.
The Roman Catholic festival marks the Assumption - or entry into heaven - of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Every August 15 is a public holiday across Portugal to honour the day.
Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa said his government were offering support to local authorities on the island.
'My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims and my solidarity is with the citizens of Madeira,' he tweeted.
Footage of the incident was posted on social media by local media Jornal de Madeira and shows the huge tree crashing down on worshippers as dozens run for their lives.
'It was terrible, it was so sudden,' Xavier Nunes, an eyewitness, told SIC television. Local media said the tree was rotten, and had been partly supported by a metal cable.
