Man crushed by tree while sleeping in tent in Edinburgh during Fringe festival

Police said the man was pronounced dead at the scene beside the Water of Leith

The men had been camping next to the Water of Leith in Edinburgh

A man has been killed by a falling tree as he slept in a tent in Edinburgh during the Scottish capital’s world-famous Fringe festival.

Police said the camper crushed by a “very large” tree that injured another man who was sleeping next to him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene next to the Water of Leith in the early hours of Saturday morning, while a 35-year-old man was wounded.

Photos showed the remains of the tent beside the fallen tree, with part of the trunk removed as part of rescue efforts.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said the tragic accident happened at around 3.30am in woodlands lining the river in the Dean Village district.

“A very large tree had fallen on a tent in which two men were sleeping and, sadly, one of the men was pronounced dead at the scene,” he added.

"A 35-year-old man also suffered minor injuries, but did not require medical treatment."

Police said the tree is believed to have been toppled by “natural occurrences” and that officers were working to trace the man’s next of kin.

It was unclear whether he had been attending the Edinburgh Fringe, where hotels, hostels and official campsides are swiftly booked up by hundreds of thousands of people flooding into the city.