Gurgaon: A violent dust storm that ripped through south Haryana on Thursday evening left two boys dead in Nuh after walls they had turned to for cover gave way under fierce winds.In Tapkan village, a group of four children ran towards a school boundary wall as the weather worsened, only for it to collapse on them. Hours later, in Chandeni village, another boy died when the wall of his house came down during the same storm.The first tragedy unfolded near govt senior secondary school in Tapkan. A group of children had been playing in a field next to the campus when the storm gathered force. As the winds intensified, they moved towards the school’s boundary wall for brief shelter. Within moments, a portion of the wall facing the playground collapsed, burying them under debris.Villagers rushed in and pulled the children out. Mohammad Ayan (15) died before he could be taken to hospital. Aashiq (13), Kamil (15), and Sufiyan (9), Aryan’s brother, were injured and taken to Nalhar Medical College.The school principal said the wall had shown no visible signs of weakness. “The boundary wall was fine and had been built under a panchayat plan before my tenure. The storm was extremely severe and the wind pressure unusually high. This was a natural disaster. Nearby infrastructure, including a water-supply transformer, also collapsed, and tree branches were broken,” the principal said.He added that children should remain indoors during such weather. “This is my personal opinion,” he clarified.In the second incident, Alshef (9) died in Chandeni village after a wall of his house collapsed during the storm. Initial information suggested construction work was underway at the house when strong winds brought the structure down. He died on the spot.Police reached both sites and began inquiries to determine whether negligence or poor construction contributed to the collapses. No FIR had been registered till Friday. If a case is filed, it is likely to invoke charges such as causing death by negligence and causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety, officials said.The storm also triggered a near-miss near Chillar village bus stop on Pataudi-Rewari highway. An iron reinforcement bar fell from an under-construction flyover onto a car parked below, punching through the vehicle and tearing into the front passenger seat. No one was sitting inside.The NHAI official said preliminary findings suggested a temporary shelter put up by workers was dislodged by high winds, and a rod tied to it was blown onto the road.“The project team immediately visited the site, secured the area and began a detailed assessment. Preliminary observations indicate that the incident occurred during extreme weather,” NHAI said in a statement on Friday. NHAI added that the contractor had been asked to shift and secure temporary structures and strengthen safety measures across the site.
