French singer Barbara Weldens dies on stage in concert

An up-and-coming French singer, Barbara Weldens, has collapsed and died in the middle of a concert at a festival.

The cause of her death is unclear but, according to one report, she was probably electrocuted.

Weldens, 35, had been on stage in a church in the picturesque village of Goudron, in the Lot region of the south-west, when she suffered an apparent cardiac arrest.

She had released her first album this year and had won a young talent award.

Police have begun investigating the cause of her death and have refused to speculate on the circumstances.

Weldens regularly performed with a pianist and acoustic guitarist and was in the middle of a tour. She had become a singer after growing up in the circus, according to her website. Among her biggest influences was the singer-songwriter Jacques Brel.