Tree branch fall kills old woman in Malad; 2 hurt

MUMBAI: A 70-year-old woman died and two others, including a three-year-old boy, suffered injuries after a dead branch of a jamun tree located inside a housing society in Malad (E) fell on them on Tuesday evening. This is the fourth tree-fall death in the city since the onset of monsoon on June 25.
The deceased was identified as Chindabai Ahire, who hailed from Nashik and was living in Malad with her son's family.

The injured - Rekhabai Sonawane (46) and her grandson Rudra (3) - are undergoing treatment at Jeevan Jyoti Hospital in Malad (E). Rudra has suffered a fracture on the right hand, said officials.
The incident took place around 4.30pm, when the trio was going to a nearby hospital to visit a pregnant relative who was due for delivery, said police constable Sunil Khatepuri, a family friend of the Ahires.

After the heavy tree branch fell on them, Ahire lost conciousness. "We rushed her to a nearby private hospital in an autorickshaw, but she died en route. We then took her body to Shatabdi Hospital," said Khatepuri, adding: "Since the past few days, we had been complaining about the need to trim the trees in the area, however, no one paid any heed," said Khatepuri.
BMC officials said the jamun tree whose branch fell is located on a private premises in Malad. An officer from BMC's P-North ward said, "The BMC has not issued any notice to the housing society. We have also not received any request from the society to trim the tree."