SINGAPORE - Two people suffered minor injuries after a tree fell on two cars in Dempsey on Saturday evening.

The tree landed on a red sports car and a white car in front of the Blu Kouzina restaurant.

In response to queries, a spokesman for the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said the 7m-tall Dalbergia latifolia tree was healthy when it was last visually assessed by CPG Facilities Management last September.

The Dalbergia latifolia is commonly known as the Indian rosewood tree.

The spokesman said the facilities management firm conducts visual assessments every six months for trees in Dempsey that are within SLA’s scope. The next inspection for the fallen tree was scheduled for March.

The spokesman added that SLA will work with CPG to step up inspection of at-risk trees in the Dempsey cluster.

In response to queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for help at 10 Dempsey Road at about 7.20pm on Saturday. Two people were assessed for minor injuries, but refused to be taken to hospital, it said.

Curator Vivian Tan, 24, who was at work at Redsea Gallery across the road from Blu Kouzina, said she heard a loud bang that startled her and about six others in the gallery.

She rushed out and saw that a tree had fallen on two cars. One of the cars was a red Porsche. The other, a white car, was empty.

Ms Tan said: “The door of the red Porsche opened, and the couple who were stuck in the car managed to come out.”

The woman appeared to be in shock because the tree trunk had hit the car close to where she was sitting, said Ms Tan.

By 9pm, workers had started cutting the tree’s branches. A lorry arrived about half an hour later to help remove the tree, Ms Tan said.

This is at least the second tree recently to have fallen in the area, which is known for its popular eateries. On Jan 30, a tree fell and damaged at least five cars about 300m away from the tree that fell on Saturday.

Mr Augustine Cheah, 62, who owns one of the cars damaged on Jan 30, said his vehicle suffered a couple of dents on the roof and a door, while another car’s roof partially caved in.

Mr Cheah, a retired broker, was meeting some friends nearby when the tree fell. He is still in the process of claiming for compensation, he said.

On Saturday morning, a tree had fallen close to a residential block in Paya Lebar Way and the Pan-Island Expressway, said MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling in a Facebook post.

Nobody was hurt, and workers contracted by Marine Parade Town Council were working to remove the tree despite heavy rain, she said. “Given this is a wet season, I have also asked the town council to work with the horticultural contractor and relevant agencies to do another thorough check on the trees in our constituency, to do our best to enhance safety for our residents,” said Ms Tin.

Showers drenched Singapore on Saturday because of a monsoon surge. The island had experienced its wettest February day on record on Feb 28 due to the same weather phenomenon.

In Admiralty, the mercury plummeted to as low as 21.6 deg C on Saturday.

Rainy conditions are expected to persist in early March, with thundery showers in the afternoon on most days, said the weatherman.