A seven-year-old girl was crushed to death when an unfixed marble statue fell on top of her at the hotel she was staying at with her family.

The tragic accident took place in Munich, south-western Germany, on Friday evening (26th August).

Little Lavinia Trematerra from Naples, south-western Italy, was playing in the hotel courtyard with an eight-year-old boy when the unfixed marble statue toppled from the pedestal it had been perched on for around 20 years and hit her in full view of her father, lawyer Michele Trematerra.

Munich Police said the statue weighed around 200 kilogrammes (441 lbs) and was 1.4 metres (4.6 feet) high.

Three people in the hotel heard Lavinia’s screams, ran to her aid, and lifted the statue off her.

Paramedics arrived on the scene and tried to resuscitate the youngster while taking her to a local hospital.

But sadly, almost two hours later, Lavinia succumbed to her severe injuries.

Just hours after the accident, her mother, Valentina Poggi, wrote on social media: “You are and will always be our angel. Rest in peace, love of our lives.”

Police are investigating the incident and will probe claims that Lavinia may have climbed onto the statue.