- A large tree fell outside a Goregaon chemist shop, trapping two women with serious injuries
- Residents helped free the women and municipal workers cleared the tree in about 15 minutes
- Locals criticised poor tree pruning and demanded an inquiry into the Garden Department's maintenance
A large tree came crashing down outside a chemist shop on MG Road in Mumbai's Goregaon, trapping two women underneath and leaving them with serious injuries. The moment was caught on CCTV.
Residents rushed to help as soon as the tree fell, working to free the two women trapped beneath it. The municipal corporation soon arrived, and the tree was cleared within about 15 minutes, allowing the road to reopen to traffic.
After the incident, residents questioned whether the tree had been pruned correctly. Many locals believe poor pruning was behind the collapse, and they have voiced frustration with how the Garden Department and its contractor have been handling tree maintenance in the area. They are now calling for a formal inquiry and for those found responsible to face consequences.
Earlier the same day, a man died in Mumbai after a tree fell on him. Yunus Hakimuddin Sheikh, 63, had recently bought a shop in the Kurla area and had gone there to get it ready for its opening day when the tree collapsed. The moment was recorded on CCTV, which showed him standing near his new shop just before the tree came down, also damaging vehicles parked nearby.
Last week, a schoolboy was killed when a tree broke and crushed a school bus. 11-year-old Vihaan Srivastava died, and four other children were injured when a tree fell on their school bus as they were on their way home.
That tree was reportedly between 60 and 70 years old. It had been inspected in May and declared strong and healthy, and had also gone through routine trimming in the same month.
