Tree Falls Amid Mumbai Rains: One Injured in Byculla, Two in Powai

Mumbai, May 22 : Heavy pre-monsoon showers in Mumbai have led to multiple incidents of tree collapses, raising serious concerns over public safety in the city. In two separate incidents over the past two days, three people were injured after trees fell in the Byculla and Powai areas.

On Wednesday evening, a 43-year-old man, Shahnawaz Shaikh, sustained serious injuries when a tree came crashing down on parked vehicles near Kinjal Tower on N M Joshi Marg in Byculla. The tree toppled over due to intense rainfall, damaging three to four vehicles. Shaikh suffered head, chest, and back injuries and was rushed to the civic-run Nair Hospital by local passersby. He is currently under treatment and reported to be in stable condition.

Just a day earlier, in a similar incident in Powai, a gulmohar tree fell near Jal Vayu Vihar, Sector C—close to S M Shetty School—around 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday. The falling tree severely injured two residents, Shobha Torne (51) and her husband Prashant Torne (54), a local watchman. Shobha sustained head and shoulder injuries, while Prashant was wounded by falling debris. Both victims were initially listed in serious condition but are now stable and receiving treatment.

According to officials from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the Powai tree collapse occurred on private premises. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed that the housing society had received permission to trim the tree in March, but the order was not acted upon. Authorities believe the recent downpour weakened the tree's base, leading to its fall. The BMC has now urged all housing societies and residents to act promptly on tree maintenance permissions to prevent such hazards.

These accidents coincide with ongoing alerts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which has forecast heavy rains, lightning, and thunderstorms across Maharashtra through May 25. An upper air cyclonic circulation over the east-central Arabian Sea near the Karnataka coast is expected to intensify, bringing further downpours in the coming days.

City officials have reiterated the importance of proactive tree maintenance, especially during the monsoon season, to mitigate risks to life and property.