Firefighters cover victims of a tree that toppled into worshipping crowds during a religious festival in Funchal, Madeira island, Portugal, August 15, 2017. REUTERS/Duarte Sa
LISBON (Reuters) - A tree toppled into a crowd of worshippers during a major Christian festival on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Tuesday, killing 12 people and leaving 50 injured, officials said.
The accident happened during Madeira's biggest annual Roman Catholic festival, which draws big crowds to celebrate the island's patron saint, Our Lady of the Mount. Worshippers were struck by the falling tree near a shrine in a park in the hills above Madeira's capital Funchal as they prepared for a procession.
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