An 11 year old student died and four other children were injured after a large roadside tree collapsed onto a school bus in Mumbai’s Chembur area on Tuesday afternoon. The incident took place on Road number 11 while the bus, belonging to Universal High School, was carrying students home.
According to officials, around 12 students were on board when the tree suddenly fell on the vehicle. The bus conductor and local residents immediately rushed to rescue the children before emergency teams arrived. The injured students were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. One of them, an 11 year old boy, later died from his injuries, while the other four are reported to have suffered minor injuries.
In total, five students were rushed to the nearby Zen Hospital for emergency medical care. Tragically, 11 year old Vihan Shrivastav sustained severe, critical injuries from the impact and was declared dead. The on-duty medical officer at Zen Hospital confirmed that the other four injured children sustained minor injuries and are currently in stable condition.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade and other emergency services reached the spot and carried out rescue operations. Initial reports had said that one child was trapped inside the bus, but the rescue teams were able to evacuate everyone from the damaged vehicle.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde visited Zen Hospital to meet with the victims' families.
"This was painful. I came here as a mother. The parents were speechless. The Universal School bus had 13 kids; 12 are safe, but one unfortunately died," she said.
"The BMC claimed all the trees on the road were trimmed, but locals told me that they had complained about dangerous trees. If there was inaction, we will look into it. We want all old trees to be audited. What we know is that the trees were trimmed, but a thorough audit is necessary. We have raised this demand multiple times," she added.
"We will not try to shield the administration. All of us will look into this; there is no scope for any excuses. If we find that the complaints by the locals went unheard, the strictest action will be taken," Tawde said.
The incident occurred amid heavy rainfall in Mumbai. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more heavy showers and thunderstorms for the city, raising concerns over the safety of old trees during the monsoon season. Authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the tree collapse.
