Following the tragic tree-fall incident in Chembur in which an 11-year-old lost his life, eyewitnesses and first responders recalled what exactly had transpired on 11th Road, painting harrowing images of suffering children and desperate attempts to save their lives.

Suresh Bahadur, 54, residential building guard
‘I heard a loud noise around 3 pm, and we saw overhead cables crashing on the road; they got tangled in the tree that had fallen. We ran to the road and saw the bus. Children were in a panic and crying. First, the driver exited, and then the kids were evacuated from the front and rear. One child wasn’t moving. We couldn’t help him. The police and fire brigade were called by residents, and they arrived shortly after. They removed the last child after a 45-minute struggle. Meanwhile, we took care of the traffic on the lane. We invited emergency vehicles to park inside our building premises and created space’