Tragedy in Belgium: Woman dies after giant Christmas tree collapses

A woman died and two others were injured when a large Christmas tree fell Giant during a storm in a Belgian city OdenarteLast Friday.

Security camera footage released by Belgian authorities showed how A 20 meter tall Christmas treeshining brightly, It slowly began to tilt until it collapsed next to a Christmas market in the city.East of Brussels, a carousel spins through the historic market square.

A spokesperson for the Oost-Vlaanderen provincial prosecutor's office said: The victim is a 63-year-old woman. By Oudenaarde. Two women from the same city were slightly injured. “The investigation will focus on determining whether the tree was well supported and analyzing the impact of weather conditions”; The police confirmed.

The Cyclone Bia also caused one death in the NetherlandsA woman died as a result of injuries sustained when she fell into another tree

In addition, train services were cancelled, delayed and affected before Christmas Detours in some parts of Germany. Affected routes include routes from Hamburg and Hannover to Frankfurt and Munich.

National rail operator Deutsche Bahn said overhead power lines or tracks were blocked by fallen trees in much of northern Germany and the central state of Hesse. The situation stabilized on Friday afternoon.

In Hamburg, the Elbe River flooded streets around the city's fish market, with water up to the waist in some places. According to officials, the storm surge in the port city peaked on Friday morning at 3.3 meters above the average high tide.

Streets around ports were flooded overnight in some Dutch North Sea towns. Hack.

The massive Maeslandkering barrier, which protects Rotterdam from rising sea levels, has closed automatically for the first time due to high water levels, meaning six main storm barriers protecting low-lying areas of the Netherlands were closed. Time. The National Water and Infrastructure Commission also said it was the first time. On Friday morning, all six barriers were reopened as winds subsided.

It contains North Sea, the Norwegian cruise ship MS Maud temporarily lost power on Thursday after encountering a rogue wave. The 266 passengers and 131 crew were not injured and the ship, which was originally bound for the English port of Tilbury, will be diverted to Bremerhaven (Germany) to disembark, its operator, Hardikruden Expeditions, said in a statement.

Last Thursday, strong winds grounded planes in parts of England, halted train services and grounded Scottish ferries. Flight restrictions imposed by the storm were still affecting flights between Britain and the rest of Europe on Friday, British Airways said.

With information from Reuters and AP