Woman injured after tree falls on multiple rooms of chawl in Thane's Balkum

The injured woman was rushed to a clinic for treatment. Her condition was reported to be stable. Pic/RDMC

A woman was injured after a large tree fell on at least four rooms across two chawls near the crematorium in the Balkum area of Thane (West) in Maharashtra, on Friday evening, officials said.

The structures were also damaged in the incident, they said.

The Thane emergency services received information about the incident at around 6.14 pm on September 18, 2026.

According to the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), the tree fell on a total of four rooms in two chawls.

At T M Patil Chawl, a portion of the roof sheets of Room No. 4 was damaged after the tree fell on the room. The remaining roof sheets were found to be in a dangerous condition, following which the room was temporarily vacated.

In Room No. 5, which was also occupied at the time of the incident, the window glass was damaged.

At Kotkar House Chawl, the roof sheets of Room No. 1 were extensively damaged. As the remaining portion of the roof was considered dangerous, the room was vacated.

Room No. 2 also suffered minor damage to its roof sheet.

Woman injured in incident

According to the RDMC of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), Sarita Prajapati, 24, a resident of Room No. 1 at Kotkar House Chawl, suffered injuries to her leg and shoulder after the tree fell.

She was rushed to a nearby clinic for treatment. Her condition was reported to be stable, officials said.

Fire brigade and civic teams respond

Fire brigade personnel reached the spot with a fire vehicle, while staff from the disaster management cell arrived with a utility vehicle. Personnel from the Tree Authority Department were also present at the site, the RDMC said.

The teams cut and removed as much of the fallen tree as possible.

However, due to darkness and the difficult location, the remaining portion of the tree could not be removed immediately. The Tree Authority Department is expected to complete the removal work on Saturday morning.

Residents asked to move temporarily

Residents of the rooms that were vacated due to the dangerous condition of the roofs were advised to stay at alternative locations temporarily.

The Thane civic teams also assessed the affected structures and continued necessary safety measures at the site.