2 killed as massive banyan tree crushes truck in Kangra village
In a tragic incident early Monday morning, two men lost their lives after a massive banyan tree collapsed onto a truck in which they were sleeping. The mishap occurred in Khawa village near Sadon, under the Nagrota Bagwan subdivision of Kangra district.
The deceased have been identified as Tek Chand, son of Diwan from Mahal, and Sanjeev Kumar, son of Ram Kumar from Masal Bari in Tehsil Dehra. Both were residents of Kangra district.
The truck, loaded with bricks for delivery, was parked by the roadside when the banyan tree - reportedly with a girth of around 50 feet - toppled due to a strong early morning storm. The tree fell directly on the truck, crushing it and completely covering it with branches and foliage.
Local village Pradhan, Manoj, immediately informed Babloo of Sadon, State President of the Anti-Terrorist Front. Babloo reached the site by 6:00 AM with emergency support, but the scale of destruction posed serious challenges for immediate rescue.
Nagrota Bagwan SDM Munish Sharma soon arrived with a team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), equipped with heavy machinery including JCBs, cutters, and a hydra crane. Despite a strenuous two-hour rescue operation, both men were found dead inside the mangled vehicle.
SDM Sharma announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 10,000 each to the families of the deceased. He expressed his deep condolences and appreciated the efforts of all officials and locals involved in the operation.
