PANJIM: Passengers in a Kadamba bus had a narrow escape when a tree collapsed on the moving vehicle near the Divar ferry jetty on Monday evening.
The driver sustained injuries and the bus was also damaged, while no other casualties were reported. The incident led to traffic congestion on the Panjim-Ponda route for nearly an hour.
“The Fire Department and the Traffic Police were soon pressed into service to ensure smooth movement of traffic. The injured driver was shifted to the hospital for first aid,” an official said.
In a similar incident in Panjim, a tree collapsed opposite the ‘Casino Pride 2’ entry resulting in traffic chaos. No injuries were reported here.
“Fire personnel cut the branches of the trees to clear the roads for vehicular movement. The incidents led to traffic jams but the situation was brought under control soon thereafter,” a fire official said.
Commuters, who were diverted towards the Kadamba Road, complained that long queues of vehicles caused traffic jams. Some persons who were coming for night duty in the city said they got delayed to reach their office due to the traffic congestion.
In the capital city, there was a serpentine queue from the Mandovi bridge up to Campal because of the tree which fell opposite the Casino Pride 2. Vehicles were moving at snail place as the two-wheelers made their way through small gaps in between the vehicles.
Thanks to the Fire Brigade Department officials who arrived quickly at the scene and cut the tree and traffic started moving after the street was cleared.
