In a tragic incident on Monday morning, two men lost their lives when a massive banyan tree collapsed on a parked truck in Khawa village near Sadon, under the Nagrota Bagwan sub-division of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.
The victims, identified as Tek Chand, son of Diwan from Mahal, and Sanjeev Kumar, son of Ram Kumar from Masal Bari in Dehra tehsil, were both residents of Kangra district. The two were sleeping inside the truck, which was loaded with bricks and parked roadside, which was scheduled for delivery later in the day.
According to reports, strong early morning winds are believed to have caused the tree—estimated to have a girth of nearly 50 feet—to fall, crushing the vehicle completely under its massive branches and foliage.
Local village pradhan Manoj alerted Babloo, the state president of the Anti-Terrorist Front, who promptly reached the scene around 6 am with emergency support. However, initial rescue efforts proved extremely challenging due to the scale of the collapse.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Munish Sharma of Nagrota Bagwan also reached the site with a team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and heavy machinery, including JCBs, cutters, and a hydra crane. After a strenuous two-hour-long rescue operation, both men were found dead inside the vehicle.
SDM Sharma announced an ex-gratia relief of ₹10,000 each for the dependents of the deceased. He extended condolences to the bereaved families and appreciated the efforts of local residents and rescue teams involved in the operation.
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