Rain fury claims three lives in national capital

Heavy rains in the national capital wreaked havoc on Thursday, resulting in three deaths within 12 hours. While two boys died in Vasant Vihar after a wall collapsed, a man was killed after a tree fell on his motorcycle in Kalkaji.

In the first incident, a 50-year-old man died while his daughter suffered serious injuries after a huge neem tree fell on their bike crawling through a waterlogged road in the Kalkaji area, Southeast Delhi, on Thursday morning, the police said.

The incident was captured on CCTV in which the huge tree, located just inches from the footpath, can be seen suddenly uprooting and falling on commuters. Two individuals - Sudhir Kumar (50) and his daughter Priya (22), residents of Tughlaqabad, riding a motorcycle – were trapped beneath the fallen tree.

A video from the spot shows Priya trapped between the fallen tree and the bike. Several people holding umbrellas rushed to the spot and tried to help rescue the woman and her father.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said: “Around 9.50 am, an old roadside neem tree suddenly fell in front of HDFC Bank near Paras Chowk, Kalkaji. As a result, two persons - Sudhir Kumar and his daughter Priya - riding a motorcycle were trapped beneath the fallen tree.”

The police responded swiftly to a PCR call and started rescue operations immediately. A JCB machine was arranged on a priority. Due to the collective and timely efforts of the police team, both injured persons were safely extricated and shifted to Safdarjung Trauma centre,” the DCP said. While Sudhir succumbed to his injuries, Priya is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

A car was also damaged in the incident. The car owner, who was inside the vehicle, did not sustain any injuries and was taken out safely.

A hydraulic crane was deployed to remove the tree. Municipal officials had been alerted to assess the damage and carry out necessary pruning of trees to prevent similar incidents, the police said.

“Our horticulture team is at the spot and working with local officials to remove the fallen tree. We are still trying to figure out what was the cause of this incident,” a PWD official said.

Meanwhile, two boys, aged nine and 10, died after a wall collapsed following heavy rain, in the Vasant Vihar area, Southwest Delhi, on Thursday, the police said.

The police said they received a call regarding the incident from near Hanuman temple in Basant Nagar area of Vasant Vihar around 4:44 pm.

Following the call, a team was rushed to the spot. Two boys were pulled out from the debris and rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre in PCR vans.

However, the boys were declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The 10-year-old was a native of Begusarai, Bihar, while the younger one belonged to Madhubani, Bihar.

A preliminary investigation revealed that both of them were sitting on stairs alongside the wall when it collapsed. The wall, which belonged to the DDA, fell due to heavy rain and waterlogging, an official said.

Disaster Management and DDA were informed and the remaining debris is being cleared to check if anyone else is trapped, the cop mentioned.