One person died on the spot and three others had a miraculous escape and got away with injuries when a two-century-old peepul tree came crashing on people and traffic at Nagashettyhalli in Sanjaynagar on Saturday evening.

A moving car, two autorickshaws and a motorcycle were crushed by the huge tree. Six electric poles too snapped under its weight. The deceased has been identified as K. Ravi, 45, an electrician and a resident of Nagashettyhalli. The injured are: Autorickshaw driver R. Raju (33), a resident of Mathikere, Sundar (31), a resident of Muthyalanagar in JP Park, and Sujatha, a resident of Nagashettyhalli.

The most fortunate was Ravi, a resident of Nagashettihalli and a priest at Muneshara Temple, who was driving the car. Though the back of his four-wheeler was completely crushed, he escaped without any injury as the driver’s seat was spared of any damage. Bhadre Gowda, a witness to the incident, said, “We saw the car being trapped under the tree, but could not do anything. People living in the vicinity screamed when the tree came down with a deafening noise. A nearby transformer fused when the electric wires snapped.”

Residents of the area informed the police and BBMP officials, who rushed to the spot and took up the rescue operation. The injured were sent to a nearby private hospital. Autorickshaw driver R. Raju suffered ankle and shoulder fractures. A BMTC bus missed the falling tree by a whisker, averting a major tragedy.

Deputy Conservator of Forest (BBMP) M. Krishnappa said that around 60 people were deployed to cut the huge tree. The traffic was blocked and electricity supply cut till the operation was completed. About two truckloads of timber were cut using electric saws, he said.

Bescom authorities said they suffered a loss of about Rs 3 lakh because of the damaged electric poles and a transformer. Officials rushed to the spot and disconnected the power supply to avoid any untoward incidents, said Assistant Engineer B.S. Sudha.