KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — This afternoon’s downpour has seen the toppling of another large tree in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur.
According to the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department, the incident occurred at approximately 3.26pm in front of Menara Prestige, along Jalan Pinang.
Coincidentally, this is within walking distance of last week’s toppling along Jalan Sultan Ismail that claimed one life and left two others injured.
In a statement, the department confirmed that there were no casualties in today’s incident; however, three cars and five motorcycles were damaged.
In a separate statement, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said that one of the damaged cars was an escorting Proton X70 police patrol car for Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.
An aide to Ab Rauf told Bernama that the tree had narrowly missed the vehicle in which he had been travelling.
Based on images that are being shared on social media, said to be from a Kuala Lumpur Command and Control Centre (KLCCC) traffic camera, the tree had fallen across Jalan Pinang, obstructing all lanes.
National daily The Star later reported that the road was now closed to traffic.
In the May 7 incident, a 47-year-old Malaysian man was confirmed dead when a huge tree came crashing down on 17 vehicles along Jalan Sultan Ismail, just outside the Concorde Hotel, during an afternoon thunderstorm.
A 26-year-old Malaysian man and a 72-year-old foreign national also suffered injuries.
The fallen tree damaged vehicles that were travelling along the busy downtown thoroughfare as well as a bus stop.
The monorail service that runs above Jalan Sultan Ismail was temporarily suspended as debris and tree branches had damaged the track.
