73-year-old woman dies after falling at pedestrian crossing in Wernigerode

A 73-year-old woman died after a car struck her at a junction in Wernigerode, in Germany's Harz district.

Police say she was crossing at a pedestrian crossing on Thursday morning when she suddenly fell.

A 66-year-old driver could not stop in time and hit the woman as she lay on the road.

The woman was taken to hospital, where she later died despite emergency treatment.

Police do not yet know why she fell, and the precise sequence of events is still under investigation.

Investigators have brought in an expert to help establish what happened.

The road was closed for about five and a half hours while police examined the scene, and the investigation is continuing.