SINGAPORE: Strong winds in the east of Singapore sent at least three boats flying at East Coast Park on Wednesday (Jan 31) afternoon, and felled a large tree that all but blocked Marine Parade Road.
The gusts tossed three Laser sailboats – each weighing about 70 kg – into the air at the National Sailing Centre, video of the incident showed.
The video, shot by a Channel NewsAsia reader who did not want to be named, also showed trees being battered by the intense wind.
He said it was already raining when he arrived at the centre for training at around 3.50pm.
“The wind suddenly picked up so my sailing team gathered to see what was going on,” he told Channel NewsAsia. “Stuff just started flying everywhere – boats, equipment, etc – it was just chaos.”
Calling it a “mini cyclone”, he added that they were evacuated to a multi-purpose hall at about 4.10pm. Their teachers instructed them to call their parents to pick them up.
Another reader, Daniel Nganasekaran, sent video of a large wheelie rubbish bin being tossed around in the wind at East Coast Park.
A Singapore Sailing Federation spokesman said that the “strong gust of wind, together with a water spout” that came through the National Sailing Centre, left a trail of damage.
“It was fortunate that sailors were recalled as per standard operating procedure and waited under shelter when the Cat 1 siren was sounded earlier,” he said, adding that everyone was safe and accounted for.
It was a “good reminder” to respect mother nature, the spokesman added.
TREE FALLS AT MARINE PARADE
Nearby, a large tree fell on Marine Parade Road, almost completely sealing it off.
The fallen tree caused a slight congestion of “about 50m” as cars had to stop, said one Channel NewsAsia reader. (Photo: William Higgins)
Channel NewsAsia reader Kelly Zhong Higgins said that the tree toppled outside Neptune Court condominium, leaving the road towards Parkway Parade shopping centre completely blocked and only one lane open in the opposite direction.
The tree toppled at Marine Parade Road, completely blocking one of the roads. (Photo: Kok Mei Hui)
Another reader, who wanted to be identified only as Aiden, told Channel NewsAsia he saw passers-by trying to clear the road at about 5.45pm.
The fallen tree blocking Marine Parade Road. (Photo: Aiden)
At around 6.45pm, the Land Transport Authority confirmed that the road was closed.
The heavy rain on Wednesday also caused a footpath and bus stop at Ang Mo Kio to flood after a nearby drain overflowed.
It was the second consecutive day that storms had caused damage in Singapore. On Tuesday, storms in the northern part of the country felled trees and caused a flash flood, and took residents and businesses by surprise. Hailstones were also reported in Ang Mo Kio and Seletar amid heavy rain.
This story came from several tip-offs by readers. If you would like to send in photos or videos of something newsworthy, WhatsApp our Mediacorp news hotline at +65 8218 8281 or message us on Facebook.
Additional reporting by Nigel Chin.
