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This is the dramatic moment a 40ft Christmas tree collapsed in the middle of a city centre.
Footage filmed by a person standing just a few feet from the tree showed it being swung in all directions by high winds.
Moments later, the structure could be seen crashing down on festive stalls in the main square in the city of Ganja, in Azerbaijan.
Hundreds of people were forced to run for their lives as the incident happened in the crowded market.
The incident happened in the city of Ganja, western Azerbaijan (Picture: e2w)
People were attending a festive market as high winds struck the city (Picture: e2w)
Screams were heard as visitors fled from the toppling artificial structure decorated with lights, baubles and a star on the top.
Initial reports said there were no casualties during seasonal festivities around the tree.
The city suffered power cuts as electricity lines came down, according to reports.
The incident happened as a a powerful hurricane swept through almost the entire South Caucasus.
Elsewhere, winds hit the Russian resort Sochi on the Black Sea, uprooting dozens of trees and tearing off roofs.
A man was crushed to death after he was hit by a falling tree.
Mayor of Sochi Alexey Kopaygorodsky ordered residents to stay home as 10,000 were plunged into darkness through power cuts.
The city is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s favourite holiday bolthole from Moscow.
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