7 killed after an old tree falls on tin shed in Maharashtra's Akola

Atleast seven people died after an old tree fell on a tin shed at Paras in Akola on Sunday. The incident took place during a religious ceremony in front of a temple around 7 pm when heavy rainfall and strong winds caused an old Neem tree to fall under people taking shelter.

According to reports, around 40 devotees were standing under the shed when the incident took place.

'Nearly 40 persons were present under the shed, out of which 36 were admitted in the hospital and four of them were brought dead," an ANI report quoted the Nima Arora, the Collector as saying. "Later the dead toll rose upto seven, and one person is critically injured," she added.

On getting information about the incident, Balapur Police Station Inspector Anil Jumle along with his colleagues reached the site and pulled out the buried people with the help of locals. A huge crowd of people gathered after the tragic incident at the spot.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his deep condolences over the incident. The devotees had gathered for a religious ceremony at Paras in the Akola district.

Taking to micro-blogging Twitter, Fadnavis wrote, "It is painful to report that some devotees were killed when a tree fell on a tin shed when some people had gathered for a religious ceremony at Paras in Akola district. I pay my humble respects to them. The Collector and the Superintendent of Police immediately visited the spot and are coordinating to ensure timely treatment of the injured. We are constantly in touch with them.''

Talking about the treatment of the injured, Fadnavis wrote,''Some of the injured have been admitted to the District General Hospital and minor injuries are being treated at Balapur.'' ''Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has decided to provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased from the state government and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund,'' he added.