Leaves behind a newborn: Neighbours mourn Azhar's death in Delhi storm

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Azhar, the 22-year-old man who died in Delhi's Gokalpuri area during Wednesday's storm, had become a father just a month ago. His neighbours described him as a kind and helpful human being.

"The storm in Delhi took his life, leaving behind his child and family. His child will never know the warmth of his embrace," said Suresh Kumar, a neighbour, while speaking to PTI.

Calling the incident tragic, Kumar added, "The storm wreaked havoc on many lives in the national capital recently and has done so even in the past." People in the area blamed the authorities for not acting on complaints about leaning trees, which proved fatal in Azhar's case.

Sameer, who tried to rescue Azhar, told PTI that he had parked his motorcycle when the storm with hail began.

"It happened all of a sudden. I saw a tree fall on a motorcycle parked under it. We noticed someone lying under the tree and tried to save him.

"His condition was terrible. My brother called the police. There were two people (under the tree); the other one managed to escape. The incident happened around 8 pm," recounted Sameer, whose son was Azhar's friend.

"The local authorities must identify and remove such dangerous trees," asserted Salman.

A local resident said they had complained about the same tree multiple times, but no action was taken.

"We even contacted ministers...why aren't these trees being cut? We don't want this to happen again," a woman from Azhar's locality said.

Sagar, who also lives in the same locality, said the area remains vulnerable.

"Anything can happen here. There's a tree inside the government school, and we've complained to both the principal and the concerned department. Now, we plan to meet officials from the MCD, PWD and other departments to prevent such incidents in the future." Three people were killed in the massive dust storm and heavy rains that lashed the national capital on Wednesday night. The victims included a nine-year-old girl, Azhar and a differently-abled person. At least 11 others were injured in the intense storm, which brought rain and hail to the city.

Past incidents: On May 2, five people lost their lives after an intense storm with heavy early-morning rain hit Delhi, causing a house collapse that killed a woman and her three children. Two other people had died in different incidents.

On May 17, four people died while another was injured after a wall of a basement at an under-construction building collapsed due to rain in central Delhi. PTI BM SGV AMJ BM AMJ AMJ