PETERBOROUGH, England, July 1 (UPI) -- A 13-year-old English girl, off from school because of a teachers' strike, was killed by a falling tree branch as she sat in a park, authorities said.
Sophie Howard was sitting on a bench in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, when a large branch fell on her from a height of 50 feet Thursday afternoon, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Two off-duty doctors ran to her assistance but she died after being taken by ambulance to Peterborough City Hospital.
Sophie was sitting in Middletons Road Recreation Ground with friends while their school, Sawtry Community College, was closed by a nationwide walkout. Principal James Stewart had posted a message saying children should stay home for their ''health and safety.''
David Youles, head of the Yaxley Parish Council, which maintains the park, said the poplar tree was pruned last fall because it appeared to be hazardous.
