Gusty winds uproot trees; two killed

Two people were killed and another injured in separate incidents in the city as a tree, uprooted by gusty winds and rain, crashed on them on Monday.

Fairoz Pasha, a mid-day meal contractor, died on the spot when a tree fell on his motorcycle in Malleswaram.

He was riding to the local Block Education Office to clear pending bills when a tree near the footpath of Kendriya Vidyalaya at Malleswaram 18th Cross got uprooted and fell on his two-wheeler, police said. The crash was so powerful that Pasha’s helmet broke into two.

In the second incident, Swamy, who was driving to Malleswaram, sustained injuries as the tree fell on his car. Both men were taken to the KC General Hospital. Pasha’s body was handed over to his relatives after the post-mortem.

Dr Manjunath, medical superintendent of the hospital, said one of the victims was brought dead, while the other sustained minor injuries.

Meanwhile, a child died after a branch fell on him in Viveknagar.

“Swamy has blunt injuries. He has injuries to the shoulder joint and abdomen. He is being treated in the emergency ward. He is doing fine and is kept under observation,” he said. The patient would be discharged on Tuesday, he added.

Police said the tree fall could have been more deadly had it happened seconds before when a jam-packed BMTC bus left there. The accident jammed traffic for almost an hour. Vehicular movement was restored only when the tree was removed.

Second incident

In another incident, a child died after sustaining massive head injuries when the branch of a tree fell on him while he was playing in front of his house on Vivekanagar 7th main road around 12.30 pm. Jeevan was rushed to Nimhans where he succumbed to his injuries.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs one lakh each to the families of both the victims.

30 trees crash

The BBMP was flooded with complaints about 30 trees falling across the city as winds blew at a speed of 59 km per hour on Monday afternoon.

Officials of the India Meteorological Department attributed the phenomenon to local factors such as rise in the temperature and humidity. “Normally, such a thing occurs during pre-monsoon showers when the winds are dry. But occurrence of such winds is not a rare phenomenon during monsoon showers. The rain on Monday was just 8mm. This wind will have no impact on the rains, clouding and monsoon,’’ IMD Bengaluru Director-in-charge, S M Metri said.

Tree uprooting was reported at Jeevan Bima Nagar, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Richmond Circle, Basavanagudi, Koramangala and other areas.