An 11-year-old boy was killed, and four other students were injured after a roadside tree collapsed onto a school bus carrying 12 children in Mumbai's Chembur area on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
The incident took place at around 2.58 pm near a building on Road No. 11, when a Peepal tree suddenly fell on the bus. Fire brigade personnel and other emergency responders rushed to the spot and rescued all 12 students, including two who had been trapped inside the vehicle.
Five injured students were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. According to the hospital's medical officer, four were in stable condition, while 11-year-old Vihan Srivastava, who had sustained critical injuries, was declared dead at around 4.30 pm.
Emergency rescue teams had to cut through the fallen tree to rescue the child who was trapped inside the vehicle. The bus was ferrying students of the Universal High School, police said.
Residents alleged that they had repeatedly urged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to trim or remove the trees, warning that they posed a safety risk. They claimed a similar incident had occurred in the area earlier, but despite repeated complaints, no action was taken.
Monsoon brings heavy rains in Mumbai
The incident comes amid heavy rains and thunderstorms in Mumbai with the onset of the southwest monsoon over the past few days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms for Mumbai and its suburbs on Tuesday, civic officials said.
According to the IMD's 8 am forecast, the city is expected to witness heavy showers under a generally cloudy sky, with the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places. The weather agency had earlier issued a yellow alert for Mumbai, warning of heavy rainfall at isolated locations, and said it may revise the alert later in the day depending on prevailing weather conditions.
Despite the forecast, Mumbai recorded moderate rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8 am. The eastern suburbs received the highest average rainfall at 40.62 mm, followed by the island city at 26.03 mm and the western suburbs at 22.47 mm.
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