A tree fell onto a crowd at the start of a religious festival on the island of Madeira, killing 13 people and injuring a further 52 according to figures released from the hospital in Funchal.
The consulting surgeon Miguel Reis said dozens of victims are in serious conditions and four foreigners of French, German and Hungarian nationality are being treated. A fourth, of Dutch nationality, has been discharged.
Four children also are in serious clinical situation, said Dr Reis.
Pedro Ramos, health secretary of the local government of Madeira, said that ten people had died on the spot and a further two shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The incident occurred in the middle of the day on Tuesday August 15th, when the 200-year-old oak tree toppled onto a crowd who were lighting candles near a fountain in front of a picture of Our Lady of the Mount. This fountain area, located in a botanical garden 5 kilometres from Funchal, has many old trees and every year thousands of catholics are drawn to the popular festival.
The mayor of Funchal, Paulo Cafôfo, said that the tree that fell “was not listed as being at risk of falling,” as some others have been.
The Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, expressed his condolences “to the families and friends of the victims of the accident in Madeira,” while the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, arrived on the island yesterday evening to deliver a personal message of “solidarity and comfort during this moment of pain.”
The local parish council, the Junta de Freguesia do Monte, confirmed that it had sent at least two letters to Funchal council, alerting it to the general state of the botanical gardens and specifically the trees, especially noting the overloaded banana trees and the state of the surrounding vegetation, though not singling out the oak tree that later fell..
One communication dated September 15, 2016, asked for the cleaning and treatment of the area. On July 1st this year, and with the feasts of Nossa Senhora do Monte approaching, the parish council again wrote, stating that a large branch had fallen and requesting that the trees were cut or pruned.
The answer from the council came on July 31st stating that work, “if justified, will be done opportunely." Paulo Cafôfo said that the tree that fell was not sick and had not shown and signs of imminent collapse.
The tree later was inspected by a tree expert and Rocha da Silva, the former regional director of forests, who concurred that the tree certainly was not healthy, even though it looked OK from the outside, as the inside of the tree was rotten at its base and root system due to a fungus.
The president of the regional government, Miguel Albuquerque, has announced three days of mourning on the island.
