On 1 November in Fuyang, Anhui Province, Ms Zhang had just sat down in the tricycle parked outside her home when a large tree by the roadside, which had been decaying for months, suddenly snapped and came crashing down.

Sensing something was wrong, she instinctively leaned forward, and the thick trunk narrowly missed her before smashing onto the tricycle. The vehicle’s cargo bed was badly deformed by the impact, but fortunately, Ms Zhang was not struck, she only suffered a mild back strain.

Still shaken, she recalled, “My mind went completely blank — I was just one second away from death. Luckily, it wasn’t one of my elderly relatives sitting there.”

Ms Zhang explained that the tree’s top had been broken by strong winds months earlier, leaving it hanging precariously. She had repeatedly reported the hazard to local village officials, but no action was taken.

After the incident, villagers worked together to move the fallen tree, and village leaders have since promised to inspect and remove other dangerous trees.