Fallen tree in KL narrowly misses Malacca CM's car

More cases of vehicles damaged by fallen trees following a heavy storm have been reported this evening in Kuala Lumpur.

Malay daily Kosmo! reported that Malacca Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh was a passenger in a car that narrowly missed a fallen tree along Jalan Pinang at about 3pm today.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Isa, meanwhile, confirmed that the fallen tree damaged eight vehicles - three cars and one motorcycle.

“One of the police cars was the lead car in the chief minister’s convoy.

“No injuries were reported to drivers and passengers of the vehicles involved,” he said in a statement.

In another statement, the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department said that aside from the incident, two fallen trees in the Universiti Malaya campus grounds damaged two other cars.

Further, the department’s operation centre received a report of a fallen tree that hit the roof of a house in Taman Gembira, Jalan Kuchai Lama, as well as another fallen tree that blocked a road in the same housing area.

Separately, highway authorities confirmed another fallen tree at KM49 Shah Alam Expressway, Persimpangan Awan Besar heading towards the north.

The Malaysian Highway Board issued an advisory at 6pm.

DBKL to cut down high-risk trees

Bernama reported Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has been instructed to take immediate action by cutting down high-risk trees around the city following another tree-falling incident today, which occurred just a week after the fatal incident on Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said at the same time, DBKL has also been directed to improve its Shade Tree Management Plan and to develop new guidelines related to aged or high-risk trees, to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

“To ensure environmental sustainability continues to be preserved and given attention, DBKL also needs to accentuate its tree replacement programme, including examining methods to ensure the trees remain solid and safe for the long term,” she said.

Last Tuesday, a man was killed, while another suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on 17 vehicles along Jalan Sultan Ismail, just outside the Concorde Hotel, during a thunderstorm and heavy rain.

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