Mumbai School Bus Tragedy: 11-Year-Old Killed, Four Injured As Uprooted Peepal Tree Crashes Onto Vehicle In Chembur

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, an 11-year-old student died and four others were injured after a roadside peepal tree was uprooted and crashed onto a school bus carrying students from Universal High School in Chembur on Tuesday afternoon.

12 Students Trapped Inside; Locals and Conductor Lead Rescue

According to the authorities, there were 14 students on board when the bus left the school. Two students got off earlier during the route. The accident occurred when the bus had halted at Road No. 11, near Heritage Pride building, to drop another student. At that moment, the roadside tree suddenly collapsed onto the vehicle.

The 12 remaining students were trapped inside the bus. Rescue teams, local residents and the bus conductor acted swiftly to evacuate all the children. "We saw that the bus was stuck and rushed to get the students out. The branch was right in the middle of the bus so the students at the sitting on the back seat struggled to get out. We had to calm the students, break the windows and break them out of the bus," said Mahendra Patil, one of the locals who helped the students. 

Class 8 Student Krisha Recounts Loud Thud, Neighbours' Help

Five students sustained injuries and were rushed to Zen Hospital. While four children suffered minor injuries and are in stable condition, 11-year-old Vihan Shrivastav succumbed to his injuries. According to the on-duty medical officer at Zen Hospital, he was declared dead at 4.23 pm. One of the injured students continues to remain under observation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with doctors conducting further medical tests.

Recalling the incident, Krisha Roy, a Class 8 student, said, "I was inside the bus when it had stopped to drop a student. Suddenly, we heard a loud thud and the tree fell on the bus. I got trapped inside. People from the neighbourhood came to help us and we were taken to the hospital." Krisha was treated in the outpatient department and discharged around 5 pm.

Injured Include Siblings Ganeev and Manika Singh, Aged 8–11

Speaking about Vihan, Darshika Mehta, a teacher at Universal High School, said, "He was a very good and active child. It is a very unfortunate incident to have happened to these children. He was also a part of the school's sports team and had a very bright future."

The injured students include Ganeev Singh, Manika Singh, Yuvan Gehlani, and Krisha Roy, all aged between eight and eleven years.

BMC, Fire Brigade and Locals Respond to 2:58 PM Alert

The father of siblings Ganeev and Manika Singh, who were among the injured, said, "Thankfully, my children did not suffer any major injuries. They are recovering well and will be fine soon."

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Mumbai Fire Brigade received information about the incident at 2.58 pm. The tree fell on a Make Force school bus (Registration No. MH03/CV-7439) near Heritage Pride on Road No. 11 in Chembur. Fire brigade personnel, civic officials and local residents immediately began rescue operations.

As Krisha was discharged after being treated on OPD basis, she sustained minir injuries on the wrist.  Another student continued to remain the Intensive Care unit with a few stitches on hai back. The other students were kept under observation and likely to be discharged soon, as per the on-call doctors.

Education minister Dada Bhuse, visited the hospital to console the children. He said, "the hospital expenses will be covered by the state government and a compensation will be given to the family of the deceased." 

Commenting on the incident, Rajashree Shriwadkar, Chairperson of the Education Committee, said, "Tree trimming was carried out before the monsoon, but this is a very serious incident. We will raise the matter with the officials of the concerned ward and seek a detailed inquiry."

The BMC said all the children were rescued promptly and shifted for medical treatment. The exact reason behind the uprooting of the tree is yet to be determined, and further investigation into the incident is underway.

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