VietNamNet Bridge - On September 24, a century-old tree unexpectedly uprooted and fell on a group of foreign tourists who were waiting for their turn to get on the chutes at the Datanla Waterfall tourist site in Da Lat city, Lam Dong province.
The accident happened when many tourists were at the platform of the chutes. The tree, which may be a hundred-years-old, was 6cm diameter and 15m in height, and it is about 20m above the platform house.

The accident left one tourist, listed as Ignatins Adri Aristion, 28, Indonesian national, dead on the way to hospital and 6 others injured and caused the entire chute system to come to a halt for repair.

The injured tourists are Indonesian and Australian. Two female Australian tourists - Leone Patter Son, 57, and Alexandoa Gordon, 18 - suffered from severe trauma to the hands and chest and they were transferred to HCM City-based Cho Ray General Hospital for further treatment.  

The four remaining survivors have been discharged from the Lam Dong hospital.
Da Lat authorities have sent the body of the perished to HCM City for forensic examination.

It is said that prolonged rain in Lam Dong caused the ancient tree to uproot.

The Datanla tourist site put its chutes into operation in late May 2006.

Victims' list:

Ignatins Adri Aristion - Male, 28, Indonesian (dead)
Leone Patter Son – Female, 57, Australian
Alexandoa Gordon – Female, 18, Australian
Mathen Gordon – Male, 40, Australian
Yonas – Male, 29, Indonesian
Rizky Rinaldi – Male, 31, Indonesian
Cunj Polakitang – Female, 30, Indonesian

PV