On September 18, 2024, a tragic accident occurred in Georgetown, Penang, when a tree toppled onto a car near the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, resulting in the deaths of two Chinese tourists. Penang fire and rescue department spokesperson Syafiq Noor Azman stated that the victims, a woman in her 20s and a man, presumably her father, in his 50s, were inside the vehicle when the tree fell.
Details of the Incident
The accident happened around 2:19 PM, and despite swift response from emergency services, the victims were confirmed dead at the scene.
Firefighters struggled to extract the bodies, with the recovery process taking up 3 hours and concluding around 5:15 PM. The man was in the back seat, and the woman was in the front passenger seat. Additionally, the tree’s fall caused significant damage to nearby vehicles and property.
Driver’s Escape and Investigation
Eyewitnesses reported that the driver of the car had managed to escape just moments before the tree struck. Authorities were actively searching for the driver, who had not been located by the time of the report. The tree, which had fallen on private property, had not been regularly inspected, leading to an investigation by the Penang Island City Council into maintenance lapses.
Weather-Related Incident in Butterworth
On the same day, another tree-related incident took place in Butterworth, Penang. Early in the morning, a married couple narrowly escaped death when a large tree fell on their car at the Jalan Raja Uda-Jalan Siram intersection during stormy weather.
The main branch missed them by inches, including the wife, who was six months pregnant and seated in the rear of the car. Hindu devotees from a nearby temple quickly came to their aid, breaking the car windows to rescue the couple.
Yet Another Related Incident in Perak
In Kamunting, Perak, another tree fall happened on the same day, affecting a motorcycle and a car at around 12:53 PM.
The incident resulted in severe injuries to a motorcyclist, 40 and his teenage daughter, 15. Both were rushed to the hospital, while two passengers aged between 16 and 35 in the car sustained minor injuries. Emergency services worked to clear the debris and secure the area.
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