A woman was killed and two people were injured when five power poles toppled by a fallen tree fell on three passing motorcycles in Bangkok’s Chidlom area on Saturday morning.
The incident took place in front of the Alma Link building on Soi Chidlom next to Central department store at around 10am on Saturday, Thai media reported.
The power poles and cables fell on the passing motorcycles after a big tree in the building compound was uprooted and later fell on the poles.
Boonsee Waenkaew, a motorcycle-taxi driver in the area who narrowly escaped injury, said he arrived at his motorcycle queue and parked his bike at around 9.30am shortly before the department store opened. He sat on his bike for a while before getting up to go and talk to a vendor nearby. While he was talking with the vendor, the tree suddenly fell on his bike, which was crushed.
The woman killed in the incident was riding on a motorcycle that was stopped at the traffic light when the power poles toppled by the fallen tree fell on her, he said. (See the video below)
Video by Sarot Meksophawannakul
The woman, identified later as Natchaphat Somjet, 25, died at the scene. Two people, who have yet to be identified, were injured and rushed to Police General Hospital.
The owner of the building will be called for questioning. The tree was reportedly planted 20 years ago, the same time the office building was built.
The incident damaged three motorcycles and three cars, according to Voice TV.
The road was closed to traffic while Bangkok Metropolitan Administration workers were clearing the area.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn, commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said he would coordinate with City Hall to survey areas where big trees and old buildings were located before steps were taken to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.