Mumbai Monsoon Tragedy: Road Concretisation Likely Led To Tree Uprooting That Crushed School Bus, Killing 11-Year-Old In Chembur | Video

Mumbai: In a first monsoon death of the year, Vihan Shrivastav, a 11 year old boy lost his life after a 60 year old roadside Peepal tree uprooted and collapsed on a school bus on Road number 11, Chembur East on Tuesday afternoon. Four other school kids were injured in the mishap, aged between four to 12 years, of which one is admitted in ICU and requires surgery; two others are admitted in general ward with minor injuries and one was discharged.

A senior officer BMC Garden department said that the preliminary cause of the tree collapse is concretisation around the tree roots during the recent cement concretisation of the road, which weakened the roots underneath the 'visibly healthy' tree. The preliminary report of the incident is expected by late on Tuesday or Wednesday morning. The collapsed tree and soil from the pit is most likely to be sent for dissection to analyse it's health and exact cause of uprooting.

An Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered at the Chembur police station, and further investigation into the incident is underway, an official said.

Officials from BMC M-West ward said that as per preliminary information, there were no official complaints received regarding the concerned tree, however, all the past records are being checked.

As per the disaster management report, the incident was reported to the Mumbai Fire Brigade at 2.58 pm that the Peepal tree located near 538, Heritage Pride at Road number 11, Chembur, uprooted and fell on on the Make Force company's school bus of Universal High School (Registration No. MH03/CV-7439). The bus carrying 12 students from Universal High School. All students were rescued immediately by the bus driver and locals. A total of five students were injured and were rushed nearby Zen Hospital, of which Vihan was declared dead by the hospital at 4.23 pm. His body was sent to Rajawadi hospital in the evening for autopsy.

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."

As per rules, the deceased's family will be given compensation of Rs 1 lakh from the BMC, officials said. However, it is yet to officially announced.

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.

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.

The injured students are identified as Ganeev Singh, Manika Singh, Yuvan Gehlani, and Krisha Roy, all aged between four and 12 years.

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."

Meanwhile, Mayor Ritu Tawde, who reached the spot immediately after learning about the misha, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. "Local officials have informed that the trees on the roads concerned were trimmed before the monsoon. However, it will be verified whether road cement concreting work was done recently in this area and if any complaints were received from the local citizens. If negligence is found in this matter, strict action will be taken against the concerned," the Mayor said.

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. The tree was very old and there no fencing around it since the footpath was small. We will raise the matter with the officials of the concerned ward and direct them to build a fencing around the tree even if the footpath is small. We will seek a detailed inquiry."

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