1 student killed, 4 injured as peepal tree crashes on school van in Chembur

Tuesday’s incident occurred around 2:58 pm near Road Number 11, close to Diamond Garden. The spot is 2 kilometers from the school which gave over at 2:30 pm

MUMBAI: An 11-year-old Class 6 student Vihan Shrivastav died and four other children suffered injuries when a 70-year-old peepal tree uprooted and fell on a school van ferrying students of Universal High School in Chembur, to their homes, on Tuesday afternoon. One of the injured children is being treated in the ICU of Zen Multi-speciality Hospital, Chembur East.

Mumbai, India. June 30, 2026 - Vihan Srivastav, an 11-year-old student, died, and four other children were injured when a large tree collapsed onto their school bus on Road No 11 in Chembur, Mumbai, India. June 30, 2026. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

This is the fifth tree-fall case reported in the city over the last two months, renewing concerns over the safety of ageing roadside trees despite routine inspections by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Tuesday’s incident occurred around 2:58 pm near Road Number 11, close to Diamond Garden. The spot is 2 kilometers from the school which gave over at 2:30 pm. The noise of the crash on the van, which was crushed by the impact, caught the attention of local residents, who moved swiftly to help the trapped children out of the van along with the conductor, before calling BMC’s Mumbai Fire Brigade, which rushed rescue teams to the spot.

Civic officials said five students had already alighted at the earlier stop from the yellow van, a Make Force vehicle, leaving 13 children on board when the incident occurred.

“They were struggling to open the van’s door. We eventually helped them out of the main door, and then broke the rear window with a hammer to ease the remaining trapped children out,” said Shyam Bahadur, member of the security staff of Mangal Smriti building.

Rashi Shah, an art teacher who was holding a class on the second floor of the building, described the fear engulfing the trapped children. “While some said they did not want to take the school van in future, others said they did not want to go to school henceforth. Even though they were scared, they enquired about their friend who was still trapped inside,” said Shah.

The last trapped child Vihan Shrivastav, was extricated by fire brigade personnel who cut the branches of the tree and used an earthmover to remove the heavy branches from top of the van, said Bahadur.

A glass shard was stuck in a child’s palm, who kept wailing in pain, said Shah, adding that she took the phone numbers of the parents from the children and summoned them to the accident spot. Paramedics in the ambulance from Zen Multi-speciality Hospital carried icepacks, administered first aid to the children and took five of the injured to the hospital, while others were housed in a neighbour’s bungalow till their parents arrived to collect them.

Hospital authorities later confirmed that two are being treated but stable, while 11-year-old Vihan Shrivastav succumbed to his injuries at 4.23 pm, despite efforts to save him. One of the injured is being treated in the hospital’s ICU. One has been discharged.

Shankar Bhosale, assistant commissioner of BMC’s M (west) Ward, said the 70-year-old tree, which was pruned in May, “appeared to be in good condition”. “Prima facie, it seems the roots may have decayed, causing it to uproot,” Bhosale said.

While BMC officials added the exact cause of the collapse will be determined after a detailed inquiry.

Following Tuesday’s incident, chairperson of BMC’s markets and garden committee Hetal Gala has ordered a review of all the trees on Chembur’s Road umber 11. “The tree’s roots had no space to grow. I have demanded all the bases of the trees be de-concretised in order to let them breathe,” Gala said.

Residents said the street was only recently concretised. They are now anxious about the health of all the trees. “The concretisation work in the area, including the footpaths, was done between December and May. We are now worried about all the trees and demand their review,” said Sujata Anand, a resident of Mangal Smriti building.

Leader of the opposition in the BMC Kishori Pednekar demanded charges of culpable homicide be registered against the ward officer and the deputy garden superintendent, holding their negligence responsible for the death of Vihan. “A family lost its only child. Had old heavy trees been trimmed the collapse could have been averted,” she said.