Seven people were killed and more than 26 others were injured after a tree fell on a shed inside a temple premise at a village under Akola district in Maharashtra of India.
The accident took place when a large number of people had gathered at the Babuji Maharaj Mandir in the Paras village for the evening aarti on Sunday evening, reports The Indian Express.
The area was lashed with heavy rain and the group of people gathered under a shed to avoid getting drenched. Around 50 people were said to be under the shed when a neem tree was uprooted due to the heavy winds that accompanied the rain and fell on the shed trapping people under it.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condoled the deaths and announced financial assistance of Rs. 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased and free medical treatment for those injured in the Akola tree-falling incident.
“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,” Fadnavis said.