Mumbai: Second tree collapse death in two days

The fallen tree at S T depot on Sayani Road in Parel

Even though the city has yet to experience heavy showers, incidents of tree collapses have already begun. A 57-year-old rag picker, Varsha Mestry, died after a banyan tree fell on her on Tuesday morning. The incident took place near the S T depot on Sayani Road in Parel. A BMC official stated that the tree had been trimmed at night because the road is always busy and the footpath is encroached upon by various structures.

On the intervening night between Monday and Tuesday, there were high-speed winds. Eyewitnesses reported that several branches fell and the tree uprooted in the morning. Mestry was likely picking garbage or sitting when the incident occurred. She was taken to KEM Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"Even though there isn't sufficient rain, the water table of the soil has increased due to intermittent splashes. The trees that are already vulnerable due to not getting enough scope to expand their roots get uprooted. This particular tree is 30 years old," said a BMC official. In a similar on July 1, Amit Jagtap, a 45-year-old man on a scooter died after trees fell on him in Worli. The incident happened in the PWD (Public Works Department) area near the BDD Chawls.