Fallen tree traps 2 people and injures another in Ulu Pandan CC compound

Gena Soh
The Straits Times
Aug 20, 2022

A large tree in the compound of Ulu Pandan Community Club in 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 the National University Hospital, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). It was alerted to the incident at around 5.55pm.

“Rescuers had to lower themselves down a steep slope and make their way through some vegetation to reach the incident site,” said SCDF.

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

It is not known why the tree fell, and how it ended up down a steep slope. When contacted, a spokesman at Ulu Pandan CC said: “We are currently working to establish the facts of the incident.”

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The Sunday Times understands that the fallen tree is the African Mahogany. 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.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza said a professional arborist will advise on the health of the tree. “My immediate concern is the three people who were affected,” he said, adding that he will be visiting them at the hospital.

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.