Tamarind tree falls on Iloilo eatery, kills 1, injures 5

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—A woman was killed and five other persons were injured when strong winds caused by Tropical Storm Gener uprooted a large tamarind tree and sent it crashing down on a makeshift eatery in the Villa Arevalo District of Iloilo City Tuesday evening, the authorities said.

It took more than four hours for rescue teams to pull out Madelyn Caminade, 48, who was declared dead on arrival at the Western Visayas Medical Center around 11:15 p.m, said Senior Insp. Lea Rose Peña, Villa Arevalo District police station chief.

Peña said the tree, at least 50 years old, fell around 7:30 p.m. on an old jeep that was converted into a kiosk at the Villa Arevalo District public plaza.

Caminade, who was inside the kiosk, was pinned down. Five other persons near the kiosk suffered injuries, including Nonie Candedier, 18, and John Mark Virela, and were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Rescue teams initially tried to lift the tree using a crane but failed. They later used chainsaws to cut the tree into smaller parts and lift these one by one, Peña said.

The strong winds caused power lines to trip, triggering a brownout in many areas of the city.

Strong winds also destroyed at least 67 houses and damaged 319 others in Iloilo City on Tuesday.