LISBON, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people are confirmed dead and 52 injured after a large tree collapsed on the Portuguese island of Madeira around midday Tuesday, local media reported.

The incident occurred in the Largo da Fonte square in the Monte neighbourhood of Funchal, capital of the autonomous region of Madeira, as crowds assembled for the Our Lady of the Mount religious procession.

Ten people were killed instantly and two died subsequently in hospital. One child is confirmed among the dead and seven of the injured are said to be in a serious condition.
Regional Secretary of Health, Pedro Ramos, has confirmed that German, French and Hungarian nationals are among those injured.

It is not yet known why the tree fell. President of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, refused to be drawn on speculation that the tree was in a poor state of repair, saying that the priority for the moment was to support the injured and the families of the victims.

Locals told the Portuguese Lusa News Agency that the tree, a 200-year-old oak, had been tied back with metal wire for the past two years and that the trunk was hollow.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has expressed his condolences to the victims and President Marcelo Rebola de Sousa is flying straight to the island to better inform himself of the incident and to "offer words of encouragement."