CALANGUTE: Fourteen cars and nine two-wheelers were damaged in two major incidents of trees crashing at Candolim and Nerul on Friday night and Saturday early morning. No one was hurt in the incidents.
Twelve cars were damaged when a huge banyan tree came crashing down outside a resort at Bamonvaddo, Candolim, in the early hours of Saturday.
At Nerul, a huge mango tree toppled over near Deltin Suites on the main Nerul-Verem road late Friday night, crushing two cars and nine scooters, and blocking traffic on the arterial road connecting Panjim and Candolim.
Vehicle owners in Nerul said the disaster could have been averted if the resort owner had allowed them to park inside the property which is their long-standing demand.
“Fortunately nobody was present there because of the rain, otherwise it would have been a major tragedy because we usually wait next to our vehicles,” one owner said.
Pilerne Fire Station Chief Firefighter Srikrishna Parrikar said, “The Nerul Panchayat gave us good support by providing earthmoving machinery and hydraulic lift so we could clear the road. Clearing the road is the top priority because it’s a main road. When trees fall on main roads it becomes a big problem as traffic gets blocked.”
The incident at Candolim occurred at around 5 am when one of the taxi owners saw the fallen tree and raised an alarm following which a large number of taxi drivers and locals from the area rushed to the spot and tried to remove their vehicles from the debris of the fallen tree. The Pilerne Fire Station was informed at around 7.30 am, following which they arrived and began clearing the debris.
Chief firefighter Parrikar said 12 cars were damaged in the incident. He said the total loss was not known. “Each car owner will give a separate estimate,” he said.
The huge tree crashed following the incessant rain, he said. “One reason could be that the tree was not trimmed. Also, it could be due to construction activities because during construction they cut the roots, so when rain comes with the wind they topple over.”
