Southend tree fall LIVE: Mass casualties feared as 'massive' branch snaps in kids park

Multiple people are feared injured as police confirm a tree has fallen in a children's park. "We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Chalkwell Park," a spokesperson for Essex Police said. "Officers, alongside ambulance and fire service colleagues, are responding. We were alerted shortly before 3pm to reports of a tree falling in the park. There have been a number of casualties and our work is ongoing. We would please ask the public to avoid this area while this work continues. Updates will be issued as soon as is possible."

News site Your Southend said on X: "We're receiving multiple reports that part of a tree has fallen down onto children in Chalkwell Park. A mass emergency response is in progress. Two Air Ambulances have now landed in the park with emergency doctors onboard. An eyewitness told the outlet: "Police, fire brigade and paramedics are all at the scene. People are being advised to leave the park." Another witness reported that the incident happened under a large old tree that was being propped up by the rose garden, adding that a "massive branch of the tree snapped off."

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