The motorcycle they were riding on hit an uprooted tree near the KLCC Petronas Twin Towers on Jalan Ampang here.

Recalling the incident, Mira, 25, said she and her 37-year-old husband were on their way to work at Ampang Point when the tragedy struck.

“The road was highly congested at 7.25 this morning and all of a sudden a tree uprooted. My husband did not have time to stop and the motorbike hit the fallen tree.

“It happened so fast,” she said when met at the critical ward of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital here.

According to Mira, they usually took a different route when going to work. It was the first time they had used the route today.

“At the moment, my husband is being treated at the HKL critical zone and is in a coma.

“I am really worried because we just got married and I hope he will regain consciousness.

“When my husband is conscious and safe, I will take legal action against the parties responsible,” she said, adding that both of them sustained head injuries.

Mira was grateful she survived and thanked all those who rendered assistance.

An earlier report had said that a tree had fallen on the couple as they were passing the area.

The incident during peak hours resulted in a traffic jam as the road was closed temporarily.

Heavy machinery was brought in to clear the fallen tree.

The incident occurred during fine weather.

In a statement issued later, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said the rotting root of the tree had affected its growth. This made it unstable and easy to be uprooted.

According to the statement, the tree was of the Samanea saman (raintree) species and was more than 130 years old, with a trunk diameter of 4.65m.

The Samanea saman species is planted along Jalan Ampang, which is among the earliest roads constructed in Kuala Lumpur.

The statement said the trees along Jalan Ampang are maintained according to schedule, which is twice a year. Last year, it was carried out from April 1-30 and Dec 11-27.