The fall of a branch in Miraflores de los Ángeles, injuring two, one seriously, reignites the debate. The City Council is analysing the causes while experts point to thermal stress.
On Saturday, a large eucalyptus branch fell in a square in Miraflores de los Ángeles, injuring two young people, one of whom was hospitalised in serious condition. The incident has reopened the analysis of the frequency of these accidents in Málaga, where a dozen branch and trunk falls have been recorded in the past year, many without an apparent cause.
The Environmental Sustainability Department of the Málaga City Council is now investigating the causes of the eucalyptus's collapse, which was inspected in October and showed a low risk of falling due to its apparently good condition. The company Talher, responsible for maintaining the green areas in that zone, did not prioritise it for action.
Technicians point to thermal stress and moisture load as possible triggers. The injured young woman, who remains hospitalised, may undergo surgery in the coming days.
This is not an isolated case. In July of last year, a pine branch fell in plaza de Miguel de los Reyes, in Lagunillas. Shortly after, a large tree collapsed on calle Juan Muñoz Herrera, in Puerta Blanca, narrowly missing a seven-month-old baby and their parents. For that incident, the City Council fined 5,000 euros to the company Raga Medio Ambiente, responsible for maintaining the green areas of the Carretera de Cádiz district, upon finding that the tree had prior mechanical and pathological deficiencies.
In October, two people were injured by the fall of a branch on calle Guadalbullón, in Palma-Palmilla. The tree, an elm located on a slope, had been inspected shortly before without any anomalies detected. In December, a large ficus fell on paseo de Antonio Machado without causing personal injuries, although two drivers had to manoeuvre to avoid it. Also in Huelin, a tree about 15 metres tall collapsed onto a truck on calle Tomás Echevarría, near the Eduardo Ocón school.
January was particularly tragic. A 31-year-old Moroccan woman died in Torremolinos when a palm tree uprooted by the wind fell on her as she was heading to the police station to collect her residence card. In Marbella, the fall of a branch damaged two vehicles and recalled the death of a neighbour in March 2025 due to a similar incident.
Consulted experts agree that there are multiple factors. Enrique Salvo, a botanist and professor at the University of Málaga, warns that "there is a high risk of more branches falling" and compares: "Before, you were more likely to be struck by lightning than have a tree fall on you; now that’s no longer the case." Salvo explains that intense rains followed by very hot summers cause trees to shed branches that destabilise them, and that warming dries out the soil and reduces root systems.
"There is a high risk of more branches falling. Before, you were more likely to be struck by lightning than have a tree fall on you; now that’s no longer the case."
For his part, Alberto Díaz, a botanist and PhD candidate at UMA, admits that high temperatures are an "aggravating" factor, but not a determining one. He has just completed research demonstrating that these breakages are due to a combination of factors: changes in winds and mechanical defects in the specimens. Díaz insists that there is a lack of data on fatigue, cracks, and fissures in trees, and emphasises that these accidents are "notable for their extraordinary nature."
Málaga has about 112,000 trees in public areas. The City Council maintains a periodic inspection service, but the recent episodes raise questions about the effectiveness of inspections and the need to strengthen monitoring in the face of extreme weather phenomena.
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