Eight injured after tree falls on civic workers during inspection in Santacruz

Mumbai logs 91 tree-fall complaints in a day. Representational Pic/File

Eight people were injured after a tree collapsed on them during an inspection in Mumbai's Santacruz (West) on Thursday afternoon, as heavy rain continued to affect different parts of the city, as per PTI reports.

The incident occurred around 2.02 pm inside the premises of a private building near Raheja College, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

According to the civic body, BMC workers had reached the spot to inspect a tree that had already fallen when another tree suddenly collapsed on them.

"Civic workers had gone to inspect a fallen tree, when another tree collapsed on them, injuring eight persons," the BMC said in a release, reported the news agency.

All eight injured were rushed to Nanavati Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. Officials said all of them are in a stable condition, reported PTI.

Huge tree falls in Churchgate

On the same day, in a similar incident near Sydenham College in Mumbai's Churchgate area, a huge tree was uprooted, damaging several vehicles and disrupting traffic.

Civic authorities rushed to the spot and began removing the fallen tree to clear the road and restore normal movement. The incident comes amid ongoing monsoon rains, which have triggered multiple tree-fall incidents across the city in recent days.

Fresh incident days after Chembur tragedy

The Santacruz incident comes just days after a similar devastating accident in Mumbai's Chembur.

Earlier this week, an 11-year-old boy was killed and four others were injured after a tree fell on a moving school bus in the Chembur area following heavy rains.

The back-to-back incidents have once again highlighted the risks posed by weakened trees during the monsoon season.

Heavy rain triggers multiple complaints on Thursday

Apart from the Santacruz incident, the BMC received a large number of emergency calls across the city on Thursday.

According to the civic body, it recorded:

• 91 complaints of tree and branch falls
• Nine complaints of short circuits
• Four complaints of partial house or wall collapses

"No casualties were reported in the short-circuit or house collapse incidents," the BMC said.

However, after heavy spells in the morning, rainfall eased to moderate levels during the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) observatories recorded 15.6 mm of rain at Colaba and 17.4 mm at Santacruz till 5.30 pm on Thursday.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation as intermittent rain is expected to continue across Mumbai.

(With PTI Inputs)