A family enjoying some time outdoors last Sunday (Dec 5) had a close shave with a tree that fell near their picnic spot in Sembawang Park.
A 41-year-old man told Shin Min Daily News that it nearly hit his five-year-old daughter that afternoon. They had been playing with a ball near the tree at the time.
Image source: Facebook / Shin Min Daily News
“When my daughter went to retrieve the ball from a spot near the tree, we heard a snapping sound. Two seconds later, the tree fell,” he said.
Despite the scare, the girl was unharmed.
Her father took a closer look at the fallen tree and noticed a rotting trunk.
Some workers who were cutting grass in the vicinity cleared the branches from the fallen tree and barricaded the area.
“My eight-year-old son was also frightened by this incident,” the man said, adding that the family will not return to the park anytime soon.
According to the Chinese daily, the National Parks Board (NParks) confirmed that it was alerted to a fallen tree measuring about six to nine meters in height in Sembawang Park. The tree was removed from the premises at about 6pm.
According to NParks, urban trees in Singapore are examined by arborists, also known as ‘tree doctors’, in a rigorous and systematic manner.
Image source: Facebook / Shin Min Daily News
A 38-year-old woman was killed by a fallen tree in Marsiling Park in February. About 10 passers-by tried to help the woman by lifting the tree but she had to be freed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force using cutting equipment.
In 2017, a falling tembusu tree at the Singapore Botanic Gardens killed another 38-year-old woman, and also injured her husband and two children.
AsiaOne has contacted NParks for more information.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
Lead image source from Facebook / Shin Min Daily News.
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