A ten-year-old boy was killed and three children injured yesterday when they were hit by a falling tree branch during a school trip to a country estate.

The children were building a den in woods at Felbrigg Hall, a National Trust property near Cromer, Norfolk, when the branch fell on them.

Police were establishing whether the tragedy, at about 3pm, was weather-related.

The most seriously-injured child was flown to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by air ambulance but was declared dead on arrival. Another boy of 10 was also airlifted to the hospital and was last night in a critical condition.

The two other pupils, an 11-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, were taken to hospital by ambulance. A hospital spokesman said that their injuries were not life-threatening.

Relatives came from their homes in Colchester, Essex, to be by the injured children’s bedsides.

The pupils were all from Heathlands Primary School in West Bergholt, near Colchester. Last night John Watts, the head teacher, paid tribute to the youngster who died. He said: “I know it sounds a cliché in these circumstances but he really was a fantastic little boy and we shall all miss him so much. He joined all school activities and he had tremendous capability.”

Jon Smith, a spokesman for Norfolk Police, said: “A group of ten children aged 10 and 11 were in the woods on the estate.

“I understand the teacher heard a crack and told the kids to run for it because she realised what was happening. The branch fell on four of them — but the other six managed to get out of the way. It was an overcast day with no wind so it is a mystery why the branch fell. It is an absolute tragedy.”

Mr Smith said that the branch — believed to be from a beech tree — fell from a height of about 30 ft (10 m). He added: “It was just a project that the children were doing on a visit to the estate. They were camping in a field near by.”

Mr Watts said that the activity holiday was run by a private company. “We had 59 children there. My understanding is that they were orienteering when the accident happened.”

He added: “We have been going on this activity course for six years and the children absolutely love it. We have never had any problems before and I understand it is many years since there has been an accident there.”

Police said that recent weather conditions would be taken into consideration. A spokesman said: “It had been windy overnight and today but we have not had widespread reports of trees falling. We did have one report of a tree falling overnight at King’s Lynn but nothing widespread.”

In July last year John Pollard, the South Manchester Coroner, urged the National Trust to check all beeches on its land. He spoke at an inquest into the death of Timothy Sutton, 8, who died from severe head injuries after a beech fell on him in strong winds at Dunham Massey Park, near Altrincham, Greater Manchester. He died on New Year’s Day, 2005.

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