One dead after tree falls in KL, hitting 17 vehicles and monorail track

KUALA LUMPUR: One man was killed and another man suffered serious injuries after a large tree came crashing down on 17 vehicles in Kuala Lumpur during a thunderstorm and heavy rain on Tuesday (May 7).

The incident occurred along Jalan Sultan Ismail, just outside the Concorde Hotel, at about 2.20pm, Bernama reported.

Apart from damaging vehicles passing through the busy segment of downtown Kuala Lumpur, the fallen tree also damaged a bus stop and a monorail track in the area.

The damage to the track caused a temporary disruption to monorail services.

Malaysia's Fire and Rescue Department said that it was alerted to the incident at 2.19pm and it deployed 27 of its officers to the scene.

"Upon arriving at the location, the team reported that a large tree had fallen on the road, crushing 17 vehicles and damaging the monorail track at the location. The fallen tree also caused damage to public facilities, including a bus stop," the department's Kuala Lumpur operations centre said in a statement.

"Two victims were removed from damaged vehicles. The first victim was a 47-year-old who was later confirmed dead by Health Ministry officers while the second victim was handed over to paramedics at the location for treatment."

The injured man is 26 years old, according to Bernama.

Rapid KL said that its monorail services were disrupted between the system's Bukit Nanas and Raja Chulan stations.

In response, it activated train services between Titiwangsa and Medan Tuanku stations. Feeder buses have also been deployed to run between KL Sentral and Medan Tuanku.

"Rapid KL is working with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to resolve the temporary disruption as soon as possible. For now, police and firemen are controlling the situation at the scene," it said in a statement.

"We apologise for this unexpected disruption and thank passengers for their patience," it added.