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An Easter egg hunt turned fatal for a young mother, her infant daughter, and a 16-year-old in Germany.
The victims, identified as members of SterniPark, a state-funded welfare organization for pregnant women, parents, and children, were crushed by a 100-foot-tall tree uprooted by “a strong gust of wind,” according to authorities.
Highlights
- Three people lost their lives when a 100-foot tree fell during an Easter egg hunt in Germany.
- The event took place amid strong winds, despite a warning issued by the German weather service.
- In another Easter incident, two men discovered a vial of potentially radioactive material in their garden while hunting eggs.
“It was windy yesterday in Europe,” a netizen corroborated, while many sent “prayers and condolences to the families” of the deceased.
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German weather services had put the area under a high-winds warning hours prior to the tragedy
Image credits: Benjamin Nolte/Getty Images
The incident occurred around 11 a.m. local time on Sunday, in a wooded area near Satrupholm, a village in the municipality of Mittelangeln.
The Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) issued warnings for gusts of up to 50 mph (80 km/h) for northern Germany. These speeds are known as storm gusts and are known to be capable of uprooting mature trees.
The windy conditions were said to subside only after Monday, April 6. Even with that alert, SterniPark opted to proceed with their scheduled egg hunt.
Image credits: pahis/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
According to reports, an estimated fifty residents and staff of SterniPark were present to participate in the event.
Four people reportedly got pinned down by the fallen tree. A woman identified as a 21-year-old mother passed away on the spot alongside a teen.
Her 10-month-old and another teen, aged 18, suffered “serious injuries” and were airlifted to a hospital in Kiel.
Image credits: nataliaderiabina/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
The names of the victims have not been released.
Photos from the scene obtained by the German outlet News5 show Easter eggs scattered across the ground beside the fallen tree.
Grief counselors were also spotted there.
Local politicians and SterniPark have addressed the tragedy, with social media users echoing their sentiments
Daniel Günther, Governor of Schleswig-Holstein, where SterniPark is based, alongside Interior Minister Magdalena Finke and Youth and Families Minister Aminata Touré, said, “Our thoughts are with the family members of the d**d, with the injured, and with everyone who had to experience this terrible occurrence.”
“A falling tree brought a terrible end to the joyful Easter egg hunt. We mourn the loss of three young people,” a statement by SterniPark read.
Image credits: Daniel Reinhardt/Getty Images
“We thank the emergency services personnel from the fire departments and police, the emergency chaplains, and staff who did everything humanly possible on site to help, rescue, and provide support in times of pain.”
“The residents, children, young people, relatives, and staff now need time and all our support to process this tragedy,” the message concluded.
Image credits: BILD
Netizens expressed disappointment over the incident happening on a festive day.
“What was to be a happy occasion turned into a devastating tragedy. RIP to all three,” one said, while another added, “So very sad it happened during what should’ve made happy memories for the kids.”
Germany also made headlines on Sunday for the potential discovery of a radioactive substance during an egg hunt
Image credits: BILD
Two men discovered a 50-milliliter vial of polonium-210 in the garden of their home in Vaihingen an der Enz near Stuttgart while looking for Easter eggs, according to several reports.
Polonium-210 is a highly radioactive and rare isotope that is fatal if ingested or inhaled, and is notoriously difficult to detect.
The men called the German emergency number, leading 138 personnel to soon arrive at the scene.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the discovered substance is actually polonium-210, but district fire chief Andy Dorroch said, “We are assuming that this is indeed the substance in question.”
In a high-profile case involving its use, the Russian government employed it to silence former spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Image credits: Benjamin Nolte/Getty Images
After Litvinenko defected to the UK in 2000, he became a critic of the Russian president and started working for MI6, the British intelligence agency, as a consultant.
He was poisoned during a meeting with former KGB agents Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun at London’s Millennium Hotel on November 1, 2006, and passed away after three weeks in agony.
“Wrong place at the wrong time,” commented a netizen, about the three victims crushed by the fallen tree
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