By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 9 Jul: A major accident was averted near the Tehri bus stand here this morning. A huge oak tree suddenly fell on the main road. A car and a scooty came under the tree, which were badly damaged. Fortunately, there was no one in the vehicles at that time and no one was hurt. Since it was morning time, many school children and people were passing by, but they had gone past just a few seconds before the tree fell. People breathed a sigh of relief and said that, if the tree had fallen at a little further, the nearby shops could also have been hit by it.
As soon as the information about the incident was received, teams of the police, fire brigade and forest department reached the spot. With the help of machines, the tree was cut and removed, and the road was reopened in a short time.
Forest Inspector Abhishek Sajwan stated, “The tree was very old and heavy. Its roots had become weak due to rain and wind. The forest department is now inspecting the trees in the surrounding area so that weak and dangerous trees can be removed in time.” Local resident Digambar Lal said, “If the tree had fallen two minutes earlier, many children going to school could have been hit by it. There is usually a lot of hustle and bustle on the road in the morning. It is no less than a miracle that no one died.” He said that there was a line of shops on the roadside at a distance of a few feet from the falling tree. If the tree had fallen there, many shops could have been ruined. The shopkeepers breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God that the accident was not serious.
