Dimapur, October 12 (MTNews): A woman vendor was killed while seven others were injured on Wednesday when a large Eucalyptus tree rooting at its lower trunk was toppled by the wind and fell on top of them in the Dimapur Supermarket area, close to Hotel Samarati.
The woman was declared ‘brought dead’ by the hospital authorities while the other injured victims including five males and two females are reportedly being treated at the Dimapur Civil Hospital.
The police have also officially informed that a pregnant woman in critical condition and the deceased street vendor were siblings.
Various photos and videos of the incident doing the rounds have shown people in the vicinity of the incident rushing to help the victims and transporting them to vehicles to be taken to the hospital.
The incident reportedly happened when a gust of strong wind toppled the tree, which then crashed onto a smaller tree nearby, causing wider destruction as it landed on top of the unsuspecting market-goers.
Expressing shock and sadness over the incident, Member of Nagaland Legislative Assembly and Advisor, Power Department, H. Tovihoto Ayemi who is away from Nagaland on official assignment, immediately contacted the Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur and informed the district administration to effectively take stock of the situation along with the intervention of the district Disaster Management Agency and the Dimapur Municipal Council.
Tovihoto termed the incident as “unfortunate” and noted that it has caused panic among the people. He also offered deep condolences to the family of the deceased and wished speedy recovery of those injured in the incident.
Tovihoto further informed the administration along with other concerned departments and agencies to initiate immediate necessary steps to ensure safety of the public and to prevent future occurrence of such incidents in crowded areas.