Baby Among Three Killed After Tree Collapses During Easter Egg Hunt

Three people, including a 10-month-old baby girl, were killed after a large tree toppled onto an Easter egg hunt gathering during powerful winds, turning a family holiday event into a devastating tragedy, police reported.

According to the AP, the accident happened Sunday morning near the German town of Satrupholm, in the Schleswig-Holstein region, where about 50 people had gathered in a wooded area for the Easter event. Authorities said a tree about 30 meters, or roughly 100 feet, tall came down in strong gusts and crushed several people attending the hunt. Four people were trapped beneath the tree after it fell.

Police said a 21-year-old woman died at the scene, along with a 16-year-old girl. The woman's 10-month-old daughter was rushed to a hospital but later died from her injuries. An 18-year-old woman was seriously hurt and airlifted for treatment. Emergency crews, including firefighters, rescue teams, and grief counselors, were sent to the area as stunned families and witnesses tried to process what had happened.

Officials said the Easter egg hunt had been organized for residents of a nearby state-supported facility that helps pregnant women, new mothers, and children. What should have been a quiet and joyous holiday outing quickly became a devastating accident and a major rescue operation. Images from the scene showed scattered Easter eggs on the ground as emergency responders worked around the fallen trunk.

The German Weather Service had issued a high-wind warning for the region before the incident. Investigators have not indicated any sign of foul play, and the deaths appear to have been caused by the storm conditions that swept through the area.

Regional officials expressed shock and condolences after the disaster, which immediately drew national attention in Germany and the world because of the age of the victims and the holiday setting. The tragedy also renewed concern about the dangers posed by severe spring weather, especially in wooded public spaces where strong winds can quickly turn trees into deadly hazards.

However, this is the first time something of this nature, the number and ages of victims, has happened in the area.

As authorities continue reviewing the exact circumstances, the focus has shifted to the surviving victims, witnesses, and families left grieving after one of the region's most heartbreaking holiday accidents in recent memory. What began as a simple Easter celebration ended with a community in mourning and with questions about whether more could have been done to protect families under dangerous weather conditions.