Malaysians today mourned the death of a 127-year-old tree in Malacca after it was uprooted during the storm this morning.
The yellow flame tree that was planted in front of the iconic Stadthuys Building on Jalan Gereja during the British colonial era fell to the ground during the lightning storm that began at 6am. The remains of the 18-meter high tree were cleared away by authorities hours later.
“The tree fell due to its old roots,” Moahzam Shaari from Melaka city council’s landscape authority told the press today, adding that a new tree will be planted at the same location soon.
“We are trying to find out which species of trees would be suitable to replace this one that is more than 120 years old,” Moahzam added.
The tree, which measured 1.5-meter in diameter, was planted in 1894 in front of the historical structure that was believed to be built by the Dutch in the 1600s. The tree provided shade to hundreds of people in the area prior to it becoming uprooted.
“The place we seek shade when it gets too hot is now gone,” Twitter user @Totoroneokasume recalled.
Some Malaysians even shared decades-old photos of the tree from archives.
Lama pokok ni wujud..
Kredit-Melaka Explorer pic.twitter.com/36KofxCR1E— 🇲🇾AnasAgentCoway🇲🇾 (@EjenAnas) March 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/anthraxxxx/status/1372014427013189635
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