Falling tree crushes Ulu Pandan CC’s fence
A 15m-tall tree fell near Ulu Pandan Community Centre (CC) in Ghim Moh Road at about 10.30pm on Tuesday. No one was hurt.
Mr Leonard Lee, 70, who is semi-retired, said: "I heard a loud thump, but I didn't expect it to be of this magnitude."
The tree, between the CC and one of its two basketball courts, crushed a fence and destroyed one of the basketball backboards.
When The New Paper visited the site yesterday morning, the posts of one of the hoops were also heavily damaged. The fallen tree left a hole about 0.5m deep and 0.8m wide and workers could be seen removing the debris.
Said Mr Lee: "It is lucky this incident happened late, when no one was using the court."
He suggested the CC get an expert to check on the health of other trees nearby.
Madam Chen Li Ping, 83, said she was worried about other trees, especially those planted nearer the market.
But the retiree added: "They shouldn't cut down all the trees, (they should ) preserve those that are healthy."
The National Parks Board told TNP this tree was under the jurisdiction of the CC.
A spokesman for the CC told TNP that it has removed the tree and would be undergoing renovation soon. He declined to comment further.
On April 21, an 89-year-old man was killed by a falling tree branch near Sultan Plaza.
- LUCAS WONG
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now