A Thunderstorm Caused 2 Trees to Fall in Sembawang Yesterday, Injuring 14 People

By
Zhi Hao
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Picture this:

You’re having a Christmas party in a park with your friends and family, and things are getting really fun. Audrey, the girl you’ve been eyeing for two years, comes up to you, and the both of you enjoy a jolly conversation that could potentially see you going ‘Hohoho’ in a couple of hours’ time.

All of a sudden, the rain starts coming, which forced everyone to vacate into the nearby pavilion. Nevertheless, the mood was still pretty upbeat, and if possible the intense thunderstorm and rain that was going on outside only served to romanticise the mood. As thunder cracked in the distance, you shared eye contact with Audrey, and slowly but surely you guys lean in to seal the deal.

“Wait, do you hear that?” someone asked.

She started to break away, but you were too persistent to give up at this point. As everyone started screaming you struggled to close in.

“5 cm,” you thought. “10cm-”

And then you feel something heavy lying on you, and as much as you hoped it’s not Audrey. Later on, you would find out that a 21m tall tree had fallen on your shelter.

But alright, it’s time to get serious. All jokes aside, the incident above (save for all the romance because that only happens in dramas) did occur, and fourteen people had to be taken to the hospital. Thankfully, however…

Everyone turned out fine.

What happened?

Just yesterday (20 Dec), a tree at Sembawang Park fell on a shelter amidst intense thunderstorms and gusty winds, causing a whopping fourteen people to have to be evacuated to hospital.

Incidentally, the tree was just one of two that were uprooted through the night. The offending tree’s a 21m tall Erythrophleum suaveolens, while the other tree’s an 18m tall Tabebuia rosea.

According to Channel NewsAsia, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had responded to the incident at Beaulieu Road at around 5:55 p.m. Rescue and medical resources were dispatched to the scene. Thankfully, there were no trapped casualties when the defence force arrived at the scene, and the 14 people were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital via SCDF ambulances.

And according to Mr Chuah Hock Seong, NParks group director for parks, all the injured persons are currently in stable condition.

“We understand that all the injured persons are in stable condition and we are in the midst of getting in touch with them and their families,” he added.

The board has also been investigating the cause of the incident.

Image: Lim Hock Lye

Christmas party

Mr Lim Hock Lye was at the scene when the incident happened, and he told Channel NewsAsia that he had seen police and SCDF in the park, at around 6:00 p.m.

And if hearsay has it, the group under the shelter had apparently been having a Christmas party, before evacuating to the pavilion when the rainstorm began.

“I understand from the other people there that there’s a group of around 10 to 15 persons partying, then the sudden rain came and they took cover,” he said.

“I think it’s because of the heavy rain and thunderstorm, the old tree was tilted, and it crushed onto the shelter, so those people taking cover under there got injured.”

Well, I guess we’ll have to wait for the authorities to release a statement regarding that.

In the meantime, however, do take care, and if thunderstorms are in the area…

Try to find a pavilion that’s not being overshadowed by a 21m tall tree. 

Image: Imgflip

E/N: We apologise for the lame puns that aren’t actually puns. We suspect it’s just a case of the writer’s morning wood TGIF vibes that’s making him obsessed with trees. 

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]