7 dead, 5 injured as tree falls near Maharashtra temple

Seven persons were killed and 23 others injured when a tree fell on a tin shed under which people were standing in a temple premises after heavy wind and rains in Maharashtra’s Akola district, local administration said on Monday.

The incident took place at around 7.30 pm on Sunday at Babuji Maharaj temple located in Paras village under Balapur taluka when the people had gathered for the ‘maha aarti’, they said.

Due to the heavy wind and rains, a 100-year-old tree fell on a tin shed under which around 40 people were standing, the district administration said.

Seven people were killed and 23 others received injuries. Five of them were seriously injured, the authorities said.

After receiving information, police and district disaster management authorities rushed the spot and started the rescue operation, an official said.

The injured persons were rushed to the Akola general hospital, the district administration said.