Residents of Almuñécar had a fright when strong winds brought down a large ficus tree in the market square, Plaza Blas Infante. A group of elderly people were nearby when it crashed over.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt and no cars were damaged – Blas Infante is a much used car-parking area. The local fire service were soon there to cut the tree up whilst the municipal police supervised the curious onlookers.

The Councillor for the Environment, Luis Aragón, explained that they needed to hire a specialized company to cart the tree away, owing to its size.

He pointed out what just about everybody was thinking – thank God that it didn’t happen on a market day!

This is the second time that one of this kind of tree has been brought down by the wind, says the councillor – the previous incident occurred in Calle Hurtado de Mendoza some months ago. Councillor Aragón explained that consequently they would now inspect all the ficus dotted around town.

(News: Almunecar, Costa tropical, Granada, Andalucia)