MUMBAI: A massive uprooted peepal tree lies sprawled across a yellow school bus in Mumbai’s Chembur, its heavy branches crushing the roof and damaging the windows of the vehicle.The bus, carrying students of Universal High School, is seen trapped under the fallen tree as rescue teams, local residents, the driver and conductor rush to evacuate the children from the mangled vehicle.The rain-hit roadside turned into a rescue zone after the tree collapse left five students injured, including an 11-year-old boy who later succumbed to his injuries during treatment.Emergency personnel worked to pull out the children, including two students who remained trapped inside the bus, as the incident raised questions over roadside tree safety ahead of the monsoon.The incident occurred at 2. 58pm near a building on Road No. 11 when the bus was ferrying 13 students of Universal High School to their homes, officials said.Fire brigade and other agencies rushed to the spot and evacuated all students, including the two who remained trapped inside the school bus.The bus driver, conductor and local residents also joined the rescue efforts.The five injured students, all aged between 4 and 12 years, were rushed to a nearby private hospital.According to the hospital’s medical officer, 11-year-old Vihan Srivastava, who had sustained serious injuries, succumbed to his injuries during treatment, while the four other injured students are in stable condition.Mumbai mayor Ritu Tawde has ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident.According to the Mayor’s office, local civic officials informed her that pre-monsoon trimming of roadside trees in the area had 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.The mayor rushed to the accident site and reviewed the situation along with her deputy Sanjay Ghadi, local MLA Tukaram Kate and other officials.She said strict action would be taken if any negligence was found.Tawde met the family members of the deceased student at Zen Hospital and offered condolences.She also enquired about the health of the injured student admitted to the ICU and sought details of the treatment from the doctors.“Vihan Srivastava’s body has been sent to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital for postmortem,” 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.Police have registered a case of accidental death, an official added.
3 key questions in focus
Did cement concreting weaken the tree’s base?The civic inquiry will examine whether recent road concretisation work around the tree affected its stability. Officials will check if changes around the roots played a role in the collapse.Were there warning signs before the tree came crashing down?The probe will look into whether residents had raised complaints about the roadside peepal tree earlier. Authorities will verify if any concerns were recorded but remained unaddressed.Was pre-monsoon tree trimming enough to prevent the collapse?The investigation will examine the civic body’s claim that trimming work was carried out before the monsoon.It will assess whether the maintenance was adequate or if more action was needed.(With agency inputs)
