Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The beach in Ocean City, Maryland, is popular among locals and tourists

A woman has been injured by a beach umbrella that flew through the air and impaled her chest in the US state of Maryland, officials say.

The 46-year-old woman, who was sitting in a chair on the beach in the resort town of Ocean City, had to be flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

The victim, from Pennsylvania, is expected to make a full recovery.

Last week a British woman was injured when a parasol pierced her leg on a beach in New Jersey.

In the latest incident, the victim was struck in her upper chest after a rental umbrella that was left unattended was carried by the wind.

The pole of the umbrella had to be cut in half by a fire crew in order to be removed, local media report.

The Ocean City emergency services later posted footage on social media of the helicopter arriving to transport the woman to hospital.

An Ocean City spokeswoman, Jessica Waters, said the accident occurred at about 15:00 (19:00 GMT) on Sunday afternoon.

Last Monday a 67-year old woman from London was relaxing on a beach in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, when strong winds caused a metal umbrella to pierce her ankle.

Seaside Heights Detective Steven Korman said that emergency crews needed to use a bolt cutter in order to free Margaret Reynolds, whose ankle was fully punctured by the umbrella.