Mumbai, June 30 (IANS) A horrific and heart-wrenching incident on Tuesday has come to light from the Chembur area of Mumbai, where a massive tree suddenly collapsed onto a school bus.
The catastrophic accident has left ten students critically injured, and tragically, one young female student has lost her life.
The shocking incident has sparked widespread grief and outrage across the city.
Emergency responders and locals launched a massive rescue operation on a war footing to extract the trapped children from the crushed vehicle.
Local residents and passersby rushed to the spot immediately after the incident to rescue the trapped children.
Emergency services, including the Mumbai Police, Fire Brigade, and disaster management teams, arrived shortly after to lead the rescue and relief operations.
Out of the 13 students on board, 10 are currently undergoing intensive treatment at a local hospital for severe injuries.
Rahul Shewale, a leader from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, officially confirmed the heartbreaking news that one female student succumbed to her injuries.
According to reports, a yellow school bus was stationary under a huge tree in the Chembur locality. There were a total of 13 students inside the vehicle at the time. Due to ongoing rains, the area experienced waterlogging and gusty winds.
It is estimated that the ancient, decades-old tree adjacent to where the bus stopped had its roots weakened by the rainfall. Suddenly, without warning, the giant tree uprooted and crashed directly onto the roof of the school bus, trapping all the occupants inside. Because the fallen tree was immensely large and heavy, it was impossible for rescuers to lift it manually.
Emergency teams had to deploy specialised cutting equipment to saw through the massive branches and trunk before they could safely extract the children.
The tragic incident has sparked massive public anger regarding civic negligence.
Former Mumbai Mayor and Thackeray faction (Shiv Sena-UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar strongly condemned the authorities and demanded immediate accountability.
“We talk about development, but look at the cost. Strict action must be taken against the Garden Superintendent of this zone. It is their fundamental duty to trim heavy branches, protect old trees, and ensure they do not get uprooted. These structural checks and precautions must be rigorously completed in March and April before the monsoon arrives. Such horrific accidents only happen because safety precautions are blatantly ignored,” Pednekar said.
“A highly unfortunate incident has taken place in Chembur. Our teams reached the spot within minutes to secure the area and ensure the children were evacuated. A thorough investigation will be conducted into whether the tree was marked as dangerous or if there was any negligence regarding pre-monsoon trimming,” said a senior official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The school administration sources said, “We are deeply devastated by this heartbreaking tragedy. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the family of the student we lost today. Our immediate priority is the well-being of the injured students treating at Zen Hospital and providing counselling support to the other children who were on board. We are fully cooperating with the local authorities in their investigation.”
“This is a horrifying nightmare for any parent. Every year before the rains, we see claims about tree trimming, but dangerous branches are often left unattended. The civic body needs to be held accountable for this structural failure. A young life has been lost due to absolute apathy,” noted a local resident and member of a Chembur Parents’ Association.
–IANS
sj/khz