British tourist crushed to death as ancient tree falls on her in France

The 61-year-old was having morning coffee in the sunshine with her daughter when the freak accident happened.

Without warning, the 80ft tall American ash tree - some 200 years old and weighing many tons - suddenly creaked, splintered and collapsed, smashing into the tables and chairs on the cafe's terrace.

The woman and her daughter were directly underneath it and had no chance of getting out of the way.

The daughter, who is in her 30s, suffered fractures and bruising, but her injuries were said not to be life-threatening.

The scene in Brouage, western France, where a British woman was killed outside a cafe after a tree crushed her

The accident in the historic Atlantic port of Brouage in Western France left a scene of devastation at the Bois Cafe, where nearby the cobbled streets were packed with tourists and shoppers.

Witness Claire Boutin said: 'There was a very loud creaking noise and everyone looked up. Then a second later this enormous tree on the other side of the road fell over, smashing through the cafe tables. It landed right on two women

who were sitting directly underneath where it fell. Other people further away got up and ran away screaming.'

The two British women were sipping coffees and chatting when tragedy struck at around 11am.

The daughter was taken to hospital with fractures and bruises. A Brouage police spokesman said: 'Her injuries are not life- threatening, but she is hurt and in a state of shock.

'It is a very sad accident. It was an old tree which had been preserved during the restoration of the village.'

The mother and daughter were not immediately named, but were reported to have been staying at a campsite near the town.

Fire crews who arrived at the scene within ten minutes of the accident told how they needed to call in a specialist tree surgeon to begin removing the huge trunk.

A spokesman said: 'We used lifting equipment to raise up the tree so that the woman's body could be safely taken out, but very sadly she was dead. We sealed off the area, then a tree surgeon helped us to slice the trunk and branches into pieces. It was an absolutely enormous piece of wood and there is no way it could be removed in once piece.'

Local government spokesman Patrick Dalennes said: the woman died instantly in the accident.

The tree - set in its own enclosed patch of ground - was a local landmark, said to have been planted to mark the birth of the son of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1811.

Brouage town hall spokesman Gerard Clion said: 'The tree was very, very old and had been conserved during the restoration of the historic town centre.

'It had been inspected by council experts and was considered safe. The weather conditions were normal, with only a light breeze at the time it happened.' It is a great tragedy that has shocked the town.'

Brouage, near La Rochelle in the Poitou-Charentes region, is famous for its ramparts.

The town was the birthplace of the first governor of French Canada, Samuel de Champlain, making it a major destination for Canadian tourists.