Lightning and falling tree kill two cousins in Savner during storm
A storm in Savner killed two men who were cousins in separate incidents, one struck by lightning and the other crushed by a falling tree.
A sudden storm with heavy rain and strong winds hit Savner one evening in September, and two men who were cousins died in two separate incidents during it. The first happened near an old water tank in the Sarvodaya Nagar area of the town, where 24-year-old Sahil Sattar Shah died after being struck by lightning. The second happened near a Shiv temple close to the Mahavitaran office in Savner, where a mango tree fell and killed 43-year-old Mustaq Gulam Shaikh, a resident of Chichpura, Savner. Sachin Diyewar, a resident of Gadegaon, was also badly injured in the same incident.
According to police, lightning struck near the old water tank in Sarvodaya Nagar during the rain and hit Sahil Sattar Shah. He was rushed to the Primary Health Training Centre, Savner, for treatment, but doctors declared him dead after examining him. His body was sent for post-mortem.
Near the Shiv temple in Savner, a large mango tree suddenly fell amid the storm and heavy rain, trapping Mustaq Gulam Shaikh and Sachin Diyewar under it. Social worker Hitesh Bansod learned of the incident and immediately informed Savner police station. A rescue operation was then launched with help from Hitesh Bansod of the Hitjyoti Aadhar Foundation, Bhushan Kubde of the Sevekari family, foundation team members Ashu Gupta, Aditya Ghate, Shubham Akone and Akash Yadav, staff of the Savner municipal council and Mahavitaran, and people present at the spot. The tree was cut with the help of a crane and a JCB to pull both men out. Mustaq Gulam Shaikh was taken to the government hospital in Savner, where doctors examined him and declared him dead. Sachin Diyewar is still undergoing treatment.
The two men who died, Sahil Sattar Shah, 24, and Mustaq Gulam Shaikh, 43, were cousins. The deaths of two people from the same family in separate incidents during the storm have devastated the family, and there is an atmosphere of mourning across the Savner area. Police are further investigating both incidents.
The storm and rain also brought down several trees, boards and hoardings in the town. A readymade garments shop at Gandhi Chowk was also affected. Trees were uprooted in several places, and branches broke and fell on homes, shops, roads and power lines, completely disrupting the power supply. Mahavitaran Savner engineer Subhash Lalke and his team worked continuously for about three to four hours to temporarily restore power to the town, giving residents some relief. Power supply kept fluctuating overnight in some parts of the town, while other areas faced low-voltage problems. The electricity department has been working since the morning of the 19th to fully restore the power system in the town.
Local MLA Dr Ashish Deshmukh, stepping in to help the affected families after the sudden tragedy, immediately contacted the resident deputy collector of the district natural disaster emergency department and sought immediate assistance of four lakh rupees each for the families of the two deceased. It is learnt that this amount will soon be given to the families of the deceased.
