Girl, 7, dead after Chalkwell Park tree collapse with second child 'critical'

A seven-year-old girl has died and a six-year-old girl is in a critical condition after a tree collapsed in a park this afternoon, police have confirmed.

Essex Police said in an update this evening that the young girl died after a tree fell on her and several other children during a day out at Chalkwell Park, Southend-on-Sea, before 3pm today. Emergency services rushed to the scene, with police, ambulances and firefighters deployed as five children were confirmed injured. The East of England Ambulance Service said in a statement that three had sustained "minor injuries" after an air ambulance was flown to their aid.

READ MORE: Chalkwell Park UPDATES: Girl 7, dead in tree collapse as another fights for life

Those three received hospital treatment, with Leighton Hammett of Essex Police saying this evening that the families involved in the incident face "unimaginable hardship".

He said in a statement: "Families are facing unimaginable hardship this evening and all of our thoughts are with them at this time. I cannot begin to put into words how difficult today’s 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.”

The park was busy with members of the public at the time of the incident, with several people, reportedly including nearby cricket players, having rushed to the aid of the children after the tree branch fell, earning them praise from senior police officers.

This is a breaking news story. Follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.