Mysore, Sep 17: A woman and her daughter in-law were killed when a decades-old peepal tree came down crashing on Tuesday. Two other women and a boy escaped with injuries. They were all sitting in a temple adjacent to the Mysore Palace wall.
Susheelamma, accompanied by her daughter-in-law, Shylaja, residents of Sunnadakeri, went to Aramane Kote Maramma temple to help her priest-husband Siddaraju clean the place. The tragedy happened minutes after Siddaraju had left because he was unwell.
Susheeelamma, 65, was crushed under a branch of the tree. Shylaja, 38, was buried alive under debris. The temple was partially damaged.
Eyewitness Ravi, a sugarcane juice vendor, told TOI he was near the temple when tragedy struck. The tree also brought down a power cable, delaying rescue operations. "We rushed to help people stuck between branches of the fallen tree."
Shankar and Arjun, members of the temple committee, said the incident happened when there were few devotees inside. Nearly 300 persons had offered prayers in the morning; the number dwindled to about a dozen in the afternoon. Hundreds of devotees offer special prayers at the temple on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and during Ashada.
The incident happened a day after Mysore received heavy rain.
The roots of the tree had dried fully. Those in charge of the upkeep of the temple had covered the stump with concrete, depriving the tree of water for years.
Botanist Sadananda said insects might have gnawed at the roots, causing the tree to crash. Krishnarajendra Hospital resident medical officer Dr Chandrashekar said the two women were brought dead, while the condition of three others is stable.
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