A 50-year-old man died and his daughter was critically injured after a massive neem tree uprooted and crashed onto vehicles crawling through rain-soaked streets in Delhi’s Kalkaji area on Thursday morning, police said.
The incident, caught on CCTV, shows the huge tree, located just inches from the footpath, suddenly uprooting and toppling onto unsuspecting commuters.
Among the vehicles struck was a motorcycle carrying Sudhir Kumar (50) and his daughter Priya (22), residents of Tughlaqabad.
A video from the scene shows Priya trapped between the fallen tree and the bike, as several people holding umbrellas rushed in to help.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said, “At approximately 9.50 am, an old roadside neem tree suddenly fell in front of HDFC Bank near Paras Chowk, Kalkaji. As a result, two people riding a motorcycle, identified as Sudhir Kumar and his daughter Priya, were trapped beneath the fallen tree.”
Sudhir, who worked as a caretaker at a DUSIB night shelter in old Delhi, and his daughter were rescued after local police responded swiftly to a PCR call.
“Immediate rescue operations were initiated. A JCB machine was arranged on priority, and due to the collective and timely efforts of the police team, both injured individuals were safely extricated and shifted to hospital through CATS Ambulance for medical attention,” the DCP said.
While Priya is undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Trauma Centre, Sudhir succumbed to his injuries.
A car was also damaged in the incident. Its owner, who was inside, did not sustain any injuries and was taken out safely.
Amit Chaturvedi, brother of the car owner, told PTI, “I was in office when I asked my brother if he left for the office. He informed me that a huge tree fell on his car while he was on his way to work. Fortunately, he has not sustained injuries.”
Shivani Chauhan, a local, said, “It was a very big tree. They were travelling through the road when the tree fell. The father died on the spot and the daughter was rescued and taken to the hospital.”
"The car owner is a resident of Kalkaji G block. Thankfully, nothing happened to him. This is a big negligence on the part of the government,” Chauhan told PTI.
Authorities secured the area and regulated traffic to prevent further disruption.
A hydraulic crane was deployed to remove the tree, and municipal officials have been alerted to assess the damage and carry out necessary pruning to prevent similar incidents, police said.