- Sunday, March 02, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Seven people were killed while 37 were injured after an old tree fell on a tin roof under which people were standing in a temple premises after heavy wind and rain in Akola district of the western Indian state of Maharashtra on Sunday (9), officials said on Monday (10).
The incident took place at around 7.30 pm local time on Sunday at Babuji Maharaj temple located in Paras village under Balapur taluka when the people had gathered for the ‘maha aarti’ (Hindu ritual of worshipping with earthen lamps), Akola collector Nima Arora said.
VIDEO | At least seven people were killed and 23 others injured after an old tree fell on a tin shed under which people were standing in a temple premises after heavy wind and rains in Maharashtra's Akola district on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/Aj8LIflocl
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 10, 2023
Expressing grief, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis called the incident “very serious and unfortunate”. Confirming the death toll, he said he has sought an inquiry into the incident.
The government will provide compensation to the families of the deceased, he said.
The district authorities said families of each of the deceased will be given a compensation of Rs 4 lakh (£3,927) and the injured persons will be given monetary assistance as per government rules.
The incident happened when a 100-year-old tree collapsed on the tin roof during heavy wind and rain, the Akola district administration said, adding that 40 people were standing under the structure at the time.
The deceased included two women in their 50s, the administration added.
Police and district disaster management authorities rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation, an official said.
The injured were sent to the Akola general hospital.
Two of the five men who were killed were aged 55 while one was 35. Identities of two were yet to be ascertained, officials said.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis said chief minister Eknath Shinde decided to provide compensation to the family of the deceased. The government will also bear the medical expenses of the injured.
(With PTI inputs)
