Oh no! It has been reported that the iconic tree located in front of the Stadthuys Building (also known as Red Square) at Bandar Hilir, Melaka fell to the ground due to the heavy rain.
As reported by The Star, the 127-year-old tree was found “on its side” by passers-by at around 6:45am earlier today (Wednesday, 17th March).
Thankfully, the 18-meter-tall tree, which was planted near the Clock Tower didn’t cause any injuries or damage to the building structure. In a statement released to the press, the Director of Landscape of the Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB), Moahzam Shaari, said that his team of authorities arrived at the location to check the condition of the tree upon receiving the unfortunate news at 7am.
“It’s believed that this tree has fallen because its roots have rotted after ‘standing’ for a long time, that is, since the British colonial era in 1894. We also do not rule out the possibility that environmental factors such as busy traffic routes also contributed to the incident,” Moahzam explained.
In regards to that, Moahzam also revealed that they will replant the same type of tree to replace the fallen one. “The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), along with MBMB’s have been present at the scene since early this morning for public safety and traffic control purposes. Many citizens have been saddened over the loss of this historical and nostalgic heritage tree.”
For those who don’t know, the yellow flame tree, also known as the “Batai Laut”, was among the 300 pre-Merdeka era trees planted in the historical city.
Sources: The Star, Harian Metro, Kosmo.
