2 rushed to hospital after tree falls in KL

PETALING JAYA: A woman and a teenager were injured after a tree fell near the Swiss-Garden Hotel Bukit Bintang in Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, this morning.

The fire and rescue department said it received a report on the incident at 10.44am and is working with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to clear the tree from the road.

“The woman is 39 while the teenager, a girl, is 15. They have both been sent to the hospital,” said a department spokesman.

Astro Radio Traffic reported that traffic is blocked in both directions on Jalan Pudu, and that road users should expect congestion from Jalan Hang Tuah to Jalan Dewan Bahasa and Jalan Maharajalela.

Last May, DBKL said it had identified 28 trees as “high-risk” and slated them for felling.

It also said it would assign four contractors to undertake tree maintenance works in every parliamentary constituency in the capital.

This followed an incident on May 7 where a large tree fell along Jalan Sultan Ismail, causing the death of a motorist trapped in his car and injuring two others in another vehicle.

A tree which fell at Jalan Pinang amid heavy rain on May 13 last year prompted the temporary closure of the road.

In a separate incident on May 27 last year, a tree along Jalan Puchong fell on seven cars parked near shoplots.