An 11-year-old student was killed and four others were injured in Mumbai on Tuesday after an old roadside peepal tree collapsed onto a school bus in the city's Chembur area, officials said.
The incident occurred when the students were on their way home from school in the bus at 2:58 pm near a building on Road No. 11, news agency PTI reported, citing officials.
Fire Brigade personnel and other emergency responders rushed to the spot and rescued all the students, including two who were trapped inside the bus.
The five injured students were rushed to a hospital. While four of them are now stable, according to officials, 11-year-old Vihan Srivastava, who had sustained serious injuries, succumbed during treatment.
The students injured were all in the age group of 4 to 12 years.
Cause of the accident
While a report of accidental death has been registered, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident.
Tawde, along with Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi Tawde, local MLA Tukaram Kate and other officials, rushed to the accident site, reviewed the situation and warned that strict action would be taken if any negligence was found.
{{/usCountry}}Tawde, along with Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi Tawde, local MLA Tukaram Kate and other officials, rushed to the accident site, reviewed the situation and warned that strict action would be taken if any negligence was found.
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“This is a very tragic incident. I am deeply saddened. I have also visited the children in the hospital. There were 13 students in the bus, out of whom 12 students are out of danger and one child has passed away. I have met with his family... I am going to take full details of this... I have also spoken with the concerned officials,” she said speaking to ANI.
However, according to a PTI report, the Mumbai Mayor's office said that she was informed that the pre-monsoon trimming of roadside trees in the area had already been carried out.
"The inquiry would examine whether recent cement concreting work on the road had affected the stability of the tree and whether any complaints had been received from local residents," the release added, PTI reported.
A senior BMC official said recent drain work and cement concretisation around the site may have weakened the roots of the peepal tree, leading to its collapse.
He added that the civic body would constitute an expert committee to determine the exact cause of the incident, and the names of its members are likely to be announced soon.
The official, who visited the site and inspected the uprooted tree, said preliminary findings suggested that damage to its roots may have caused it to fall, with recent cement concretisation and drain work around the tree emerging as possible contributing factors.
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He also said the tree had been pruned ahead of the monsoon as part of the civic body's annual preparedness drive.
Tawde meets family members
Later, Tawde visited Zen Hospital, where she met the family of the deceased student and expressed her condolences. She also enquired about the condition of the student admitted to the ICU and sought an update from doctors on the treatment being provided.
"Vihan Srivastava's body has been sent to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital for post-mortem," the release stated.
Among the four injured students, a 10-year-old girl was discharged after treatment. Another four-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy are undergoing treatment, while a 10-year-old boy remains admitted to the ICU.
"Doctors said all four surviving injured students are out of danger," the release added.
(With inputs from PTI)