New Delhi: A 70-foot-tall tree fell at the Carmel Convent School on Friday in Sector 9 in Chandigarh, killing one student and injuring a number of others. One student has been reported to have died so far, who was declared brought dead when she was rushed to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) Chandigarh.
Nitin Yadav, Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration informed ANI that the incident was reported at 11:10 a.m., adding that 20 persons have been reported injured, including 19 children and one staff attendant. Two of the injured are hospitalised in serious condition.
A probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
“One child has been confirmed dead, and a number of 20 injuries, including 19 children and 1 staff attendant, have been reported. Two of the injured are hospitalised in serious condition. We have given orders for a probe to find out the cause of the accident, and are continuously monitoring the situation,” said Yadav.
The 250-year-old heritage peepul tree that was in the school premises, was protected by the administration of the Union Territory.
A special order has been issued for all the schools of Chandigarh by the Engineering Department and Forest Department to monitor and check the conditions of all the old heritage trees in the state, Yadav said, adding that if the trees are found to need any trimming or pruning, the maintenance process would be facilitated.
Medical teams and police rushed to the spot after getting the information. UT officials reached the school to take stock of the situation and many parents reached the school after getting the information.
“It was a very sudden incident. Students did not get time to rush from the accident spot,” Yadav said.
The injured students of the school have been rushed to a government hospital in Sector 16, PGI, and Fortis as they sustained injuries.
Maheshinder Singh Siddhu, the area councillor, said “The incident happened during school recess. Students were eating their tiffin in the ground where the tree fell.”
He also told ANI that the tree had been unstable before, and the school’s negligence in its maintenance has led to this incident.
“Around four-five years back, the same tree had broken down and fallen. There is also a neem tree shooting out of this tree, which may have turned the situation grimmer. Also, heavy rainfall lashing the city for two-three nights may have led to its fall. Had the authorities paid enough attention to the situation, the tragic incident would not have happened.”
Yadav claimed that no maintenance request for the heritage tree had come to their notice when the incident occurred four to five years back.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expressed his condolences over the incident in a tweet.
“A major accident took place when a tree fell at a private school in Chandigarh in which the tragic news of the death of an innocent child was received and several children were injured. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the injured children and for peace to the soul of the child who has died and strength to the parents,” he said.
