Tree falls onto wedding party near Los Angeles

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By BNO NEWS

A tree has crashed into a wedding party at Penn Park in the city of Whittier near Los Angeles, killing at least one person and injuring a number of others, officials say. A search and rescue operation is still underway.

The incident happened at about 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday when a wedding party of at least 20 people was gathered at the park. Photos from the scene showed that a large tree had fallen, striking members of the group.

A large number of emergency services responded to the scene, including search dogs and the Urban Search & Rescue unit (USAR) of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD).

Firefighters reported that at least one victim was pronounced dead while five others have been injured, including one who is critically injured. It is believed that several other victims remain trapped and the number of victims may increase.

“I was at a different spot, I was at the playground, and you heard just a loud crack and the people that were under the tree – the wedding party – they all looked up and they saw it falling but they all ran straight, and the tip of the tree got most of the people,” one witness told NBC LA.

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