Two Chinese tourists killed when uprooted tree crushes car in Malaysia

Two Chinese tourists were killed when an uprooted tree crushed their car in Malaysia.

The holidaymakers - a father and his daughter - were entering the vehicle to leave the Penang Peranakan Mansion museum when a dense clump of bamboo and fig trees toppled over into the carpark in George Town, Penang, on September 18 afternoon.

The collapse tore off part of a concrete wall that smashed onto three cars in the compound.

Mohd Syafiq Nor Azman, spokesman for the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Penang, said firefighters arrived at the scene after receiving an emergency call at around 2:19pm local time.

He said: 'The man in his 50s was sitting in the rear passenger side on the left while the woman in her 30s was in the front passenger side and we were informed that they had just left the tourism centre building before the incident happened. There was a local male driver, but he managed to save himself.'

A crane was dispatched to remove the heavy ornamental trees. The clearing operation took three hours due to rainy weather and narrow space in the parking lot.

Medics said the Chinese visitors were found inside the nearly flattened car with no pulse at around 5pm. The woman was later identified as Liu Xin Xin, 36, while no details were available on her father.

Their bodies were taken to the Penang Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Local media reported that a third person, Har, 52, was also struck by the falling branches and sustained bruises from the incident.

She said: 'We were about to leave and find somewhere to eat but there was an incoming car so I waited. Suddenly, trees came crashing down. I could only honk for help. The people in the museum immediately came. They rushed to cut down the tree and open the car door to pull me out. But they couldn't pull out the father and daughter because they were being crushed badly.'

H'ng Mooi Lye, Penang Town and Country Planning Committee chairman, said the Penang Island City Council will determine who is responsible as the tree was on private property.

He said: 'Since it is on private property, regular tree inspections were not conducted. However, moving forward, tree inspections will also include private properties.'

Malaysia and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are in their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.