NARROW ESCAPE FOR SEVEN AS TREE UPROOTS IN GK-1 AND FALLS ON TWO CARS

At least seven people, including a couple, had a narrow escape after a tree uprooted due to the rains and fell on two cars and a motorbike near Archana Complex in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash Part-1 on Tuesday evening. Except for the biker who suffered injuries to his shoulders, the other six people who were in two different cars escaped unhurt.

All of them were rescued by an under-training Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, at least eight police personnel of the Greater Kailash police station, including the station house officer (SHO), and local residents. Videos and images of the rescue operation were circulated on social media. In one video, IPS officer Lakshya Pandey, who is posted as assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Chittaranjan (CR) Park, is seen trying to pull the uprooted tree along with SHO Ritesh Sharma, both in uniform, in the rain and a third person wearing a raincoat.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur said that the police station received a call around 5.30pm that a tree was uprooted because of the rains and it had fallen on some vehicles moving on the road near Archana Complex in B-block of GK-2. Pandey was discussing a case file with the SHO in the police station when they got the call. Both rushed to the incident spot in their vehicles, directing the beat officers to call the rescue teams and immediately reach there.

“We found that the tree had fallen on two cars – an i-10 and a Wagon R taxi. A couple was trapped inside the i-10 car as a heavy branch of the tree had fallen on its front portion, damaging its roof, front windshield and the bonnet. They were rescued through the car’s boot,” said a police officer, who was part of the rescue operation.

According to the officer, a biker was also trapped under the uprooted tree and was injured. He was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

“A Wagon R cab was also damaged because of the uprooting of the tree. Three passengers and the driver were trapped inside the cab. They were also rescued. All four escaped unhurt. The tree was cut using saw machines and the road was cleared,” the officer added.

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