Approximately at 7h on August 9, at Tao Dan Park, an incident occurred where a branch of a classified 3 oil tree (a large tree) broke off and fell from a height of approximately 25m, with a branch length of about 10m. The incident resulted in the deaths of 2 people, and 3 others were injured.
Tao Dan Park (District 1) is managed by the Infrastructure Management Center under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction. The unit that won the bid for maintenance and upkeep is Ho Chi Minh City Green Park Joint Stock Company.
On the afternoon of August 9, in a conversation with Lao Dong, a representative of the Infrastructure Management Center stated that the oil tree branch that broke off had internal defects, but did not show any external signs. The tree was still in good condition, with green leaves.
Notably, this oil tree was maintained and cared for by Ho Chi Minh City Green Park Joint Stock Company in January 2024 and July 2024.
“This is an incident that no one wants. Although we conduct regular inspections, internal defects in green trees can be difficult to detect. We apologize to the people for this unfortunate incident and hope for the people's understanding.” - a representative of the Infrastructure Management Center said.
After the green tree incident, the Infrastructure Management Center and Ho Chi Minh City Green Park Joint Stock Company conducted a thorough review and inspection of areas in Tao Dan Park where many residents live and exercise to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
Currently, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai has assigned the Department of Construction to urgently review and grasp the situation, determine the cause of the incident, and responsibility of individuals and organizations involved; propose a handling direction and report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee before August 10.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also assigned the Department of Construction, the People's Committees of districts, and the TP. Thủ Đức to coordinate with relevant agencies and units to urgently conduct a comprehensive inspection of the ability to ensure safety of public green trees on the territory; handle promptly and appropriately for cases where green trees have a risk of breaking and causing safety hazards.
