On Thursday (18 Feb), Singaporeans were saddened by news of a 38-year-old lady’s passing after a tree at Marsiling Park fell on her.
Later that evening, more information about the victim surfaced, including her identity and the circumstances leading up to the tragic incident.
News sites reported that the victim was a staff at Mediacorp’s Channel NewsAsia (CNA) studio. She was also reportedly wearing noise-cancelling earbuds when the tree fell.
According to The Straits Times (ST), 38-year-old Loke Xiao Li was a senior technical coordinator at Mediacorp who had been with the company for 6 years.
She was also wearing a pair of noise-cancelling earphones during her run. One later appeared to be damaged while the other remained intact.
Speaking to ST, Ms Loke’s sister said the deceased might have been able to hear the loud cracking sound before the tree gave way if not for the earbuds.
Other eyewitnesses reportedly heard the cracking sound as well.
Described as a driven and sociable person, Ms Loke was always in the company of friends and loved motorcycles.
She apparently only started running recently to fulfil a New Year’s resolution, reports ST.
In light of the incident, Marsiling-Yew Tee MP Zaqy Mohamad has asked NParks to inspect the trees in the area to ensure visitors’ safety.
Dr Leong Chee Chiew, commissioner of parks and recreation at NParks, said that following checks, the facility remains “safe for the public to visit“.
The last inspection of the 20-metre araucaria excelsa tree that claimed Ms Loke’s life deemed it healthy, back in Apr 2020.
According to CNA, 10 – 15 individuals in the area had initially attempted to lift the huge tree before rescuers arrived, but were unable to do so.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Ms Loke. May she rest in peace.
Meanwhile, we hope NParks and the relevant authorities will continue to conduct regular checks on trees in parks so visitors can have a better peace of mind when using these facilities.
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Featured image adapted from The Straits Times.
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