2 people trapped under fallen tree in Ghim Moh stable, 3rd person discharged
Two people who were trapped under a large tree that fell in Ulu Pandan Community Club (CC), in Ghim Moh, are in a stable condition and recovering in hospital.
A third person who was injured in the incident has been discharged, said Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (Aug 21), Mr de Souza said he made a visit to the home of the man, whom he identified only as Mr Neo, an Ulu Pandan resident.
He said: "I am greatly relieved he is all right and wants to get back to running along the rail corridor as soon as possible - he has such an amazingly positive and optimistic attitude."
As for the other two casualties, Mr de Souza said he wanted to visit them on Sunday but the hospital suggested a Zoom session on Monday instead, due to safe management measures in place at hospitals.
He said: "I have been kept regularly updated on the health and condition of the other two persons who are still in hospital. They are not residents of Ulu Pandan. I am very thankful that they are in a stable condition and recovering."
He added that they also needed the day for a bit more rest.
"I can completely understand and will call them via Zoom tomorrow," he said.
Mr de Souza said there are key lessons to be learnt from the incident.
He will be chairing a meeting early in the week ahead to see how to learn from it and put in measures to reduce the risk of repeat incidents.
This, he said, will include steps such as ensuring the health of trees within the compound of the community club and studying the possibility of increasing the availability of access points for ambulances along the rail corridor.
Mr de Souza said: "Please be assured of my personal attention to this matter."
The tree, believed to be an African mahogany, fell on Saturday evening.
The casualties were conscious and in a stable condition when taken to the National University Hospital on Saturday (Aug 20).
Rescuers had to lower themselves down a steep slope and make their way through some vegetation to reach them, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force, which was alerted to the incident at about 6pm.
The tree had to be cut before the casualties could be freed. Emergency medical specialists were on-site to monitor the victims' vital signs, and K9 search dogs were used to check if there were other victims.
The African mahogany was introduced to Singapore in the late 1970s, to be planted on the roadsides. They can grow up to 60m high, have thick trunks and buttress roots and can be spotted along most expressways.
The Straits Times has contacted NUH and Ulu Pandan CC for more details.
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