SINGAPORE - Two people were trapped briefly in their car by a fallen tree in Choa Chu Kang on Sunday (April 3) afternoon.

The incident, which occurred at around 4.20pm in front of Block 296, Choa Chu Kang Ave 2, was said to have been caused by heavy rain.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) had earlier warned of moderate to heavy thundery showers that were expected over many areas of Singapore between 2.15pm and 3.30pm.

Photos posted by Nanyang Technological undergraduate Ng Si Yi, 23, showed the car entirely covered by the fallen tree.

"It blocked the entire lane; buses could not pass through," she wrote in her post.

Ms Ng's father, Mr Steven Ng, told The Straits Times it was lucky the car had been travelling on the lane further away from the tree when it fell.

"The part of the tree that fell on the car was its upper half, which consisted of lighter branches. The car could have been seriously damaged if the tree's lower half had fallen on it," said the 55-year-old in Mandarin.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said a fire engine, a red rhino and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene.

SCDF personnel used chainsaws and power saws to cut some of the branches off the tree, allowing the car's occupants to exit from the vehicle.

A man and a woman were understood to be in the car.

"They were assessed by paramedics at the scene and refused to be conveyed to hospital," the spokesman added.

No injuries were reported.

Mr Ng said the entire rescue operation took less than 15 minutes. The car was later towed away and the tree was removed from the road by 5.30pm.