SINGAPORE – She first heard a loud, cracking noise above her. She looked up, only to find a 40m-tall tembusu tree falling fast in her direction.

Ms Tay Pei Lei, 26, who was having a picnic near the tree with two friends, got up in a flash and yanked one of her friends away from the falling tree.

All three narrowly escaped getting hit by the tree though Ms Tay dislocated her shoulder in trying to pull her friend to safety.

The civil servant was discharged from National University Hospital on Saturday.

Ms Tay and her friends were among the lucky ones.

Indian national Radhika Angara, 38, was killed after she was pinned down by the tree, which was more than 270 years old.

Her French husband, Mr Jerome Rouch-Sirech, 39, and their two kids, one-year-old twins, were also hurt.

Read also: Woman killed by tembusu tree at Singapore Botanic Gardens last worked at Mastercard

Ms Tay said she and her friends had chosen a spot where they could relax and chat.

That spot was about 5m away from Ms Angara’s family, who were also having a picnic.

Ms Tay, who is not a regular at the Botanic Gardens, said she had not paid much attention to what the family were doing prior to the incident.

She noted, however, that it was windy that day.

After the tree hit the ground, bringing down nearby palm trees, she said there was panic as visitors scrambled and many rushed to help the injured.

Ms Tay estimated that there were at least 10 people who had a close shave.

Ms Tay, who was 5m from the fallen tree, said “everything happened too fast”.

She added that she was surprised that such a large tree could collapse.

“I don’t think anybody expected this to happen,” she said.

This article was first published on Feb 13, 2017.
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Crying maid lets Tampines man into neighbour’s flat, where wheelchair-bound woman is found dead

He had just finished praying for his family Tampines when he screamed from a neighboring country level yesterday afternoon.

When Mr. Ashaari Hasan Basley, 27, ran out of the investigation, he saw a maid cry in a cell loudly and two doors left.

When she saw him, she rushed to the door to get double attention, it sounds distraught.

“She tried to convince me, but I did not understand that she was trying to calm her down,” Mr. Ashaari told the newspaper.

When he looked at a four-bedroom flat from a window, he was shocked to see two elderly neighbors, a 77-year-old woman, sitting motionless in a wheelchair.

“I saw a 20-centimeter-long chopper stuck in her throat,” Mr. Ashaari, who also noticed the blood of her clothes and the floor said.

He said he called the police and ambulance services. They arrive at 276 blocks in Tampines 22th Street within five minutes.

Ashaari added: “The maid has been called by the family she made me flat because the daughter wanted to talk to me and I told her what had happened and come here as soon as possible.

He said the daughter, the police arrived after about five minutes, and thanked him for telling her what had happened.

While other family members gathered in the fifth floor of the high flat. They refused to speak to reporters.

MAID

Neighbours told The Straits Times that the woman, believed to be Madam Tay Quee Lang, lived with her husband, who is in his 70s, and their Indonesian maid, who started working there only about a month ago.

Mr Ashaari said the husband was not home when he went to the flat. He is not sure how many children they have, but knows of a son and a daughter.

They lived in the flat until recently when they got married and moved out.

Mr Ashaari remembers Madam Tay as a friendly neighbour. He said their families are quite close, having lived there for more than 30 years, since 1984.

His mother, Madam Ainon Ali, 56, said the woman was active before suffering a stroke, and started using a wheelchair after a fall last year.

“She’s always very friendly, and I always see her husband at the market,” she added.

The police said they received a call for assistance at 2.10pm yesterday. They found the body of a woman in the flat.

She was later pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

The New Paper understands the maid was taken away to help with investigations. No one has been arrested.

Police are investigating the unnatural death.

This article was first published on Feb 14, 2017.
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The woman who died after being hit by a falling tembusu tree at the Botanic Gardens last Saturday was an inspirational leader who garnered huge respect from all who knew her.

Ms Radhika Angara, 38, was at the Gardens with her family when the 40m-tall tree came crashing down, pinning her down.

Her French husband, Mr Jerome Rouch-Sirech, 39, and their two children, one-year-old twins, were also injured in the incident.

Ms Angara, an Indian national, was most recently regional digital marketing head for the Asia-Pacific at MasterCard. She took up the role after leaving global social and mobile payment platform Fastacash last year, where she was chief marketing and strategy officer.

Ms Angara studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Ithaca College in the United States.

Her family members declined to comment when The Straits Times visited them at the funeral parlour.

In a message, Fastacash chief executive officer Mark Carter said Ms Angara was a pivotal member of the management team and “an inspirational leader who garnered huge respect from all who knew her”.

“Radhika was always there to support colleagues through the Fastacash journey and will be deeply missed. Our condolences and deepest sympathies go to her family at this sad time,” he added.

Senior vice-president of communications for Asia-Pacific at MasterCard Georgette Tan said Ms Angara joined the firm nearly four months ago as the Asia-Pacific region lead for digital marketing.

She said MasterCard is working with Ms Angara’s family to offer support through the MasterCard Employee Assistance Fund and will be providing additional support through other means over the weeks ahead.

“(Radhika) had an energy and warmth that won her the respect of her peers and managers alike,” said Ms Tan.

She added that Ms Angara was “a highly talented professional, a rising star in her field and a valued member” of the Asia-Pacific marketing and communications team.

“She will be deeply missed.”

The Straits Times understands that her husband, Mr Rouch-Sirech, was discharged from National University Hospital (NUH) last Saturday night. According to his LinkedIn profile, he heads retail at Puma South-east Asia.

The family’s home is believed to be a three-room condominium in the central part of Singapore.

A 26-year-old Singaporean woman was also injured in the incident that took place at least 50m away from the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage. Her name is Ms Tay Pei Lei and The Straits Times understands that she has also been discharged from NUH.

This article was first published on Feb 13, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.