Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
A family outing turned into tragedy on Wednesday evening when 37-year-old Swati Khairnar was crushed under the collapsed dome at Siddharth Garden, right in front of her two children.
Originally from Nashik, Swati had been living with her brother in Ranjangaon Shenpunji for the past decade after separating from her husband. Her elder brother, a soldier posted in Jammu & Kashmir, was home on leave. Along with their mother, younger sister, sister-in-law, and four children, the family had gone to the garden around 3 pm. As they stepped out around 6 pm, heavy winds brought the entrance dome crashing down. Swati, caught beneath the debris, died on the spot her children watching helplessly.
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Toddler escapes death by seconds
Just moments before the collapse, Swati had been carrying her brother’s two-year-old son. She handed him to his mother as the winds picked up. The child escaped by a whisker.
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Tree falls on 27-year-old woman
In another storm-related incident, Urmila Dhondkar (27) of Pisadevi Road suffered serious head and eye injuries when a roadside tree fell on her near New High School, Harsul, around 5 PM. Locals rescued her and rushed her to the ICU.
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Panic and stampede in the garden
As the dome collapsed, chaos erupted inside and outside the park. People screamed and ran for shelter, fearing more structures might fall. Parents lifted children and dashed for safety. Stalls selling balloons, snacks, and toys lay in ruins.
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Grandmother spared by grandson’s alertness
At the park gate, Shekh Shakil had just delivered food to his grandmother, a balloon-seller. He asked her to step aside to eat a move that saved her. Shakil then pulled a child from the rubble and returned him to his parents. But tragedy struck his own family his cousin, Shekh Akil (32), was critically injured as the dome collapsed while walking beside him.