The woman who died when a eucalyptus tree fell while a wedding party was posing for a photo in Southern California has been identified as the mother of the bride, CBS reports.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has revealed that the victim was 61-year-old Margerita Mojarro.
The wedding day tragedy struck when the bridal party were having their pictures taken in Whittier’s Penn Park when a huge tree, estimated to be around 18 metres tall, came crashing down and trapped several people, including a 4-year-old girl who suffered critical head trauma.
Footage taken from the scene shows authorities desperately trying to cut through the branches with chainsaws.
Witness Gilbert Duran said on Facebook:
“It’s nuts. This tree is humongous. I can’t believe this.
“They’re taking pictures under this tree and all of a sudden it just collapsed. We just watched some little kids go flat underneath that tree.
”I hope they’re going to be OK. Pray for these families at Penn Park in Whittier.”
There is speculation that the tree collapsed after heavy winds and rain in the days prior.
Our thoughts go out to all those involved.
