Two Myanmar nationals killed by falling pine tree branch

BACHOK: A branch of a pine tree snapped and fell during a storm at Pantai Irama here yesterday, hitting two Myanmar nationals and killing them.
One of the victims, Ibrahim Budi Alam, was a three-year-old boy and the other, his relative, was a 24-year-old man, Norjim Nurul Amin, said Bachok District Police deputy chief ASP Azmi Mokhtar in a statement today.
He said Ibrahim died on the spot in the incident which occurred at 7.23pm while Norjim was confirmed dead after he was brought to the Bachok Health Clinic.
"The victims, who had been staying in Kampung Babong, Kedai Lalat, Kota Baru, were on an Aidilfitri holiday at the beach with their families," he said.
Their bodies were sent to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital, he said, adding that police classified the incident as sudden death.
Bachok district officer Nik Mohamed Noor Nik Ishak said the fallen branch was from a healthy tree and that a really strong wind had snapped it.
"We always monitor the beach and initiate gotong-royong to clean it of dead trees and branches and make it safe for visitors," he said.
He also said that his office would put up a notice reminding visitors to ensure their safety when they were at the tourist attraction and also during storms.
A notice had been put up earlier on the danger of swimming off the beach when the sea was rough, he added. — Bernama