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A tree crown lies in the middle of the busy Tajen Ao Road at Duncan Basti in Dimapur on Wed. March 20. (EM Images)[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, March 20: An autorickshaw driver has a providential escape as a dead tree which broke loose from its trunk after a sudden hailstorm at 3:10 pm on Wednesday at Duncan Basti, Fingerprint junction along Tajen Ao Road in Dimapur.
During the storm, the dead tree towering about 20 feet broke and was blown away from its trunk about 40 feet away right in the middle of the junction. One of its branches damaged an autorickshaw which was parked near the tree.
[caption id="attachment_239687" align="aligncenter" width="565"]
The damaged autorickshaw. (EM Images)[/caption]
Telephone and television cable wires were also destroyed while a telephone pole was slightly deracinated.
Miraculously, nobody was injured. The rogue branch missed several pan shops that are below it and also missed the electrical wire and utility pole.
Quick intervention by local residents managed to clear some of the branches with machetes, which allowed traffic to move about freely few minutes after the incident.
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The damaged autorickshaw. (EM Images)[/caption]
While talking to Eastern Mirror, the council chairman of River Belt colony, T Mapu Imchen, claimed that the council had sent ‘four complaint letters to the Power department regarding the dead tree which was left unattended for years.’
“We requested the Power department to remove the tree as it was potentially dangerous during such windy season. We expressed the uncertainty about its threat. But no action was taken. I am glad that nobody was injured (in Wednesday’s incident),” said Imchen.
With all the traffic police and the local residents contributing to remove the tree, Imchen was positive that the clearing work would be completed by the end of the day (Wednesday).