Deputy Lebuh Pantai fire and rescue station chief Mahadzir Maghrib told FMT that the incident occurred at 2.19pm in the compound of the Pinang Peranakan Mansion.
He said medical officers confirmed the victims’ deaths.
Penang fire and rescue department spokesman Syafiq Noor Azman said the two victims were Chinese nationals, comprising a woman in her 30s and a man in his 50s.
The female victim was seated in the front passenger seat while the man was seated at the back. Syafiq said the bodies of the victims were extracted from the car at 5.15pm and handed over to police for further action.
He also said an eyewitness saw the driver of the vehicle escaping before the tree crushed the vehicle. However, he has yet to be found at press time.
The spokesman added that the tree had caused parts of a nearby shoplot to collapse.
State local government, town and country planning committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye told a press conference that the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) would determine who would bear responsibility for the incident as the tree was on private property.
“Since it is on private property, regular tree inspections were not conducted. However, moving forward, tree inspections will also include private properties,” he said.
He urged Penang residents to be cautious as the weather forecast had predicted strong winds to continue in the region until Sept 21.
“There could be thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in several areas,” he said.
2 injured after tree falls on car in Kamunting
Two people were seriously injured when a tree fell on a passing car and a motorcycle in an accident in Jalan Kamunting, Taman Glen View, near Kamunting, Perak, today.
Bernama reported Perak fire and rescue department assistant director (operations) Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad as saying that a team from the Kamunting fire and rescue station rushed to the location after receiving a distress call at 12.53pm.
“The motorcyclist, a man in his 40s, and a girl believed to be his daughter (approximately 15 years old), suffered serious injuries,” he said, adding that both were unconscious when firemen arrived at the scene.
Sabarodzi said there were five female occupants between 16 and 35 years old in the car, with two of them suffering minor injuries.