The site of the fatal incident where an uprooted tree fell down on a driver in HCM City on October 22. — Photo thanhnien.vn

HCM CITY — A 45-year-old man was killed after an uprooted flamboyant tree (Delonix regia) fell on him while he was waiting for a relative outside a hospital in HCM City on Thursday afternoon.

The incident occurred at around 3.15pm on Street No. 5 in Bình Thới Ward, when the tree suddenly toppled onto the pavement, striking the man and several motorbikes nearby, according to local media reports.

The victim, identified as P.V.C., a resident of the southern province An Giang, was waiting for a relative who was receiving dental treatment at a nearby hospital when the accident happened.

Local residents and medical staff from Lãnh Binh Thăng General Hospital (formerly known as District 11 Hospital) rushed to the scene to lift the tree and rescue the victim before taking him to the emergency department.

Despite doctors' efforts to resuscitate him, the man succumbed to his multiple severe injuries.

Police from Bình Thới Ward, in coordination with HCM City police, cordoned off the scene and conducted an examination to determine the cause of the incident.

The investigation is ongoing.

Last month, a fallen tree struck a bus and a motorbike travelling along An Dương Vương Street in Chợ Quán Ward, near HCM City University of Education.

The September 18 accident killed a 59-year-old man from the northern province of Ninh Bình and injured a woman travelling with him.

HCM City is in the middle of the rainy season, which lasts from May to November. — VNS