Tree fall backs up traffic for 2 hours on Valpoi-Ponda road

Valpoi: A mango tree came crashing down on the Valpoi-Ponda road at Savarshe, Valpoi, on Monday morning, disrupting rush hour traffic for over two hours and resulting in a major snarl.

Several office-goers, teachers and students were among those affected.Valpoi fire station officer, Santosh Gawas, said the station received a call at 7.43am stating that a tree had fallen across the main road. “Our team of firefighters rushed to the site and cleared the fallen tree,” Gawas said. He further said that it took around four hours for personnel to clear the area._______________________________Rs 5L loss as fire guts home at NachinolaPanaji: A fire ripped through the home of the Patikar family at Nachinola’s Vainguinn Vaddo, causing a loss of at least Rs 5 lakh.

Firefighters suspect that the blaze was caused by a short circuit. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as nobody was home at the time.A team of firefighters from the Mapusa station was tasked with dousing the blaze and assessing losses.“My brother called me and said smoke was billowing from my house. I lost most of my belongings. Govt should help me because I will not be able to do any repairs. It is raining, and I don’t have any money to do anything,” said a distraught Patikar.

He and his wife had left for work and the house was locked when the flames began licking away at the family’s belongings.“We found that the cupboard, bed, and clothes were completely burnt. Appliances such as fans, fridge, television, and the entire wiring also got destroyed,” said Mapusa station fire officer, Ganesh Govekar. TNN_______________________________Senior citizen falls into well, rescuedPonda: Firefighters rescued a 70-year-old woman who fell into a well in Ponda on Monday.Goku Shetkari from Kumbharwada, Pale, tipped over and fell into the well when she was fetching water early Monday morning, firefighters said. She was brought out with the help of a rope ladder.Station officer of the Ponda central fire station, Sushil Moraskar, said the woman, who was found to be stable upon being rescued, survived because of the ropes tied to the suction heads of three water pumps submerged in the well.“When emergency services personnel approached her, she was found holding on to the ropes to keep herself afloat inside the well that was half full with rainwater,” Moraskar said. She was subsequently admitted to the South Goa District Hospital at Margao. TNN