Tuaran: A family of four narrowly escaped injury after a large tree collapsed near their home in Kampung Rongolis, Topokon, during strong winds on Wednesday morning.
The 18-meter-tall mango tree came crashing down around 11 a.m., destroying a fence located just three meters from the house. Fortunately, no one was injured and the home itself remained intact.
Norman Sidau, 67, who lives at the residence, said he and his family were taking shelter from the rain when the incident occurred.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“It started as light drizzle, but suddenly the wind picked up strongly, causing all the trees in the yard to sway,” he said.
“Then the mango tree fell—it felt like an earthquake when it struck the fence in front of the house.”
Following the incident, Norman contacted the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) for assistance in removing the fallen tree.
Tuaran District APM officer Japli Siping said a response team was dispatched to the site shortly after receiving the report.
“On the way to the location, the team also cleared several other fallen trees that were obstructing roads,” he said.
“At the scene, chainsaws were used to cut and remove the tree. No injuries were reported, and only the fence was damaged.”
The operation concluded at 2:54 p.m.
Japli advised the public to remain vigilant during unpredictable weather conditions and to contact APM immediately in emergencies related to natural disasters.
