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Auto driver dies as tree on IMH campus crashes on to vehicle

CHENNAI: A 38-year-old autorickshaw driver was crushed to death after a termite-ridden palm tree fell on his moving vehicle at the junction of Medavakkam Tank Road and Ayanavaram Road on Saturday afternoon. A Class 11 student travelling in the auto escaped without injuries, the police said. The deceased, A Abdul Wahid, a resident of VOC Nagar in Tondiarpet, had just turned on to Ayanavaram Road when the palm tree near the outpatient block on Institute of Mental Health (IMH) campus fell on to the front portion of the vehicle. Wahid died on the spot. The police said the tree was severely weakened due to termite infestation. Civic workers later removed the fallen trunk using earthmovers to clear the stretch and ease the traffic. Preliminary inquiries revealed Wahid had picked up the student from Good Shepherd School in Nungambakkam, and was on the way to drop her home when the incident occurred. Wahids body was shifted to the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for postmortem. Police have registered a case.