Little girl killed, several hurt after tree propped up by metal pole collapses in Chalkwell Park in England

A family has been left destroyed after their little girl was crushed by a tree in a park that had been propped up with metal pole for years.

The tragedy happened at Chalkwell Park in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, when the massive tree, propped up by the pole, collapsed.

Several children were playing on a path near the cedar tree and were trapped.

A seven-year-old girl was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.

A six-year-old girl is in a critical condition and three other children were treated for minor injuries.

It is believed the tree had been propped up by metal supports for at least a decade, with locals saying it was a “known danger”.

One witness said that the sound of the tree falling “was like a bomb exploding”.

“Everyone in the immediate vicinity got involved when we heard the tree crack,” she said.

“Everyone helped and lifted the tree. I don’t know how they did it, it must have taken about 40 men.”

The witness said that she got the impression that the family of the dead girl had been visiting the park on a day out from London.

“I don’t know for sure but I think the mother was with a sister and maybe another mother with a child who was involved,” she said.

“I got the impression they were a family and I think they were maybe Turkish origin.”

The witness said that the metal pole propping up the tree, which is believed to be between 100 and 200 years old, was an accident waiting to happen.

“You’re thinking, were safety checks done recently? I’m sure it was on somebody’s list on the council somewhere but with the state of things at the moment I’m sure it could get kicked to the curb,” she said.

“It feels so obvious now that something like that could happen.”

Another witness, who was playing cricket nearby, told of the horriffic scene.

“Everyone just got their hands on it (the tree) and we managed to move it quite quick,” he said.

“I saw the little girl underneath the tree and straight away, I was like she’s going to be no older than my oldest girl.

“There were a lot of females watching and they were just crying. Even some men were crying, I’m not going to lie.”

A local businessowner said the park was heaving with families when the tragedy happened.

“It’s a huge cedar tree. The branches are thicker than a human being,” he said.

“It looks to me like the whole top of the tree has come down.”

Essex Police Chief Supt Leighton Hammett said it was a traumatic scene.

“A child has sadly died and another is in a critical condition in hospital,” he said.

“I cannot begin to put into words how difficult ... events have been, and continue to be, for them.

“It’s also not lost on me how traumatic it must have been for the members of the public who witnessed this awful incident.”