A rain tree, at least four decades old and four storeys in height, abruptly fell and damaged four residential units and three cars.
The incident happened in Kismis Court, a condominium along Toh Yi Road in Bukit Timah on Mar. 1 at around 10pm.
Woken up by the noise
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a 78-year-old resident at the condominium, identified as Wu, said he was sleeping at that time when he was jolted by the loud noise.
He soon discovered that there were lots of broken branches and fallen leaves outside his window.
Wu noted that a lot of branches had fallen on to the roof of his balcony room, the railings and the shutters outside his balcony were damaged, and over 10 potted plants were damaged.
He added, the previous day's weather was good without any rain or lightning.
"Fortunately, the glass of the bedroom did not shatter but the cars in the car park were damaged by the tree branches and have to wait for the insurance company to investigate the matter."
Smashed window and 40 potted plants
According to the Straits Times, the ground floor unit also suffered extensive damage.
Tree branches, fallen roof tiles, and shattered glass, covered the unit's patio, and the retractable awning over the patio was ripped, and a window was smashed.
The fallen tree had also crushed 40 potted plants.
Landscaping company workers were on scene to cut and remove the branches with chainsaws.
An 84-year-old resident and retiree told the ST that it was slightly windy with no rain when she saw neighbours gathered outside her unit when she returned from a funeral wake.
Damaged roof tiles and bathroom
Another resident, an 84-year-old woman who was also identified as Wu, said she only discovered that that the approximately 10 potted plants outside her home was damaged when she arrived home.
She told Shin Min, the roof tiles and the glass of a bathroom were damaged by the tree branches, and she estimates the total loss to amount to thousands of dollars.
Damaged car
One 38-year-old Chen who lives nearby said he only found out that his car was wrecked by the tree when the police notified him about it via a phone call last night.
Speaking to Shin Min, Chen said, "The roof and hood have dented, estimating car repair costs to amount to approximately S$3,000. I believe the condominium management has to take responsibility for this."
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