A woman has died and two others have been injured after a large Christmas tree toppled over in a busy Belgian market.

CCTV footage captured the moment the 66ft-high tree fell down in stormy weather in the city of Oudenaarde on Thursday.

The footage showed the brightly lit tree slowly begin to lean over, then collapse next to a Christmas market as a merry-go-round turned nearby in the historic square.

The incident is being investigated, a spokesman for the Oost-Vlaanderen province prosecutor said.

"The investigation will focus on whether the tree had been properly secured and will also look at the impact of the weather," the spokesman said.

Terraces at the Old Market Square in Oudenaarde, Belgium, 07-11-21. Image: Werner Lerooy / Alamy

The victim was a 63-year-old woman from Oudenaarde, while two other women suffered minor injuries in the incident.

It comes after Storm Pia hit several countries on Thursday with wind and rain.

In Belgium the weather service issued a Yellow warning for coastal areas.

Meanwhile in the Netherlands, a woman died after she was hit by a falling tree, according to healthcare organisation ZoZijn.

The woman, who was employed by ZoZijn, was cycling past the tree when it fell on her on Thursday, the organisation said.

There was also widespread disruption across the UK.

Reporting by: IRN

Main image: An outdoor Christmas tree illuminated at night, 19-12-13. Image: Roman Milert / Alamy