Mumbai: A routine trip to home from school turned fatal for an 11-year-old boy in Mumbai on Tuesday when an old roadside peepal tree fell on the school bus in Chembur area, leaving four other students, including a four-year-old girl, injured.
The incident occurred at 2:58 pm near a building on Road No 11 when the bus was ferrying 13 students of Universal High School to their homes, officials said.
Fire Brigade and other agencies rushed to the spot, and evacuated all students, including the two who remained trapped in the school bus. The bus driver, conductor and local residents also joined them. The five injured students, all in the age group of 4 to 12 years, were rushed to a nearby private hospital.
According to the hospital’s medical officer, 11-year-old Vihan Srivastava, who had sustained serious injuries, succumbed to them during treatment, while four other injured students are in stable condition.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident. According to the Mayor’s office, local civic officials informed her that pre-monsoon trimming of roadside trees in the area had been carried out.
“The inquiry would examine whether recent cement concreting work on the road had affected the stability of the tree and whether any complaints had been received from local residents,” the release added.
The mayor rushed to the accident site and reviewed the situation along with Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, local MLA Tukaram Kate and other officials. She said strict action would be taken if any negligence was found.
Tawde met with the family members of the deceased student at Zen Hospital and offered condolences. She also enquired about the health of the injured student admitted to the ICU and sought details of the treatment from the doctors.
“Vihan Srivastava’s body has been sent to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital for postmortem,” the release stated.
Among the four injured students, a 10-year-old girl was discharged after treatment. Another four-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy are undergoing treatment, while a 10-year-old boy remains admitted to the ICU. “Doctors said all four surviving injured students are out of danger,” the release added.
Police have registered a case of accidental death, an official said.
