Tree falls in Ghim Moh on Saturday, trapping 2 persons and injuring a third

A tree in the compound of Ulu Pandan Community Club along Ghim Moh Road fell and trapped two people on Saturday evening (Aug 20).

A third person was found injured near the tree.

They were conscious and in a stable condition when they were sent to National University Hospital, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which was alerted to the incident at around 5.55pm.

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SCDF emergency medical specialists were on-site to monitor the vital signs of the victims when the tree was cut. SCDF also deployed K9 search dogs to check if there were other victims.

The Straits Times understands that the fallen tree belongs to the Khaya nyasica species, also known as the African Mahogany tree.

Introduced to Singapore in the late 1970s, they can grow up to 60m tall. They have thick trunks and buttress roots and can be spotted along most expressways.

Earlier this year on Feb 20, a man was pinned in the driver's seat after a tree fell on his car. He narrowly missed being impaled by two branches, which broke through his windscreen. At the time of the incident, there was a thunderstorm.

On Feb 18 last year, a woman was killed after a tree fell on her in Marsiling Park. She was pronounced dead before SCDF officers could rescue her.

The National Parks Board said it was a 20m-tall Araucaria excelsa tree. The tree was found to be healthy at its last inspection in April 2020.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.