An autorickshaw driver was killed on the spot and a cobbler was critically injured when a neem tree fell on them near MSR Junction here on the busy Vellore road as Chittoor town and the surrounding villages were pounded by heavy rain for about two hours on Monday evening.
The denizens who experienced scorching heat in the afternoon felt a sudden change in the climate in the evening resulting in a downpour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The 50-year-old neem tree apparently suffered soil erosion at the roots following a gush of water from the adjoining drainage line and, all of a sudden, collapsed on the autorickshaw parked under it killing its driver, Muragaiah (32), a local person, and causing severe injuries to a cobbler, Nagendra (55).
The locals and shop owners in the vicinity expressed shock at the incident. They said the cobbler had been known to be working under the tree for over three decades.
Revenue Divisional Officer (Chittoor) D. Renuka and senior police personnel inspected the spot and initiated steps for clearing the traffic jam on the busy road. The officials said that the kin of the deceased would be provided with financial assistance as per the rules.
Mr. Nagendra has been shifted to the district hospital.
Meanwhile, the heavy rain led to waterlogging and overflowing of drainage lines at various localities in the corporation. Traffic on the Chittoor-Kanipakam road came to a grinding halt with knee-deep water accumulating in the Gandhi Road area.
