JAISALMER: A 60-year-old man was killed and his two young grandsons were critically injured after large solar panels installed on the rooftop of a hotel were ripped off by strong winds and crashed onto a road during a severe thunderstorm and heavy rain in Jaisalmer on Saturday night. The deceased has been identified as Subhash Khatri (60). He was riding a scooter with his two grandsons when the solar panel structure from a hotel in Gandhi Colony was blown away by the storm and fell directly onto them. All three sustained critical injuries. They were immediately rushed to the Trauma Centre at the District Government Jawahar Hospital. After receiving primary treatment, doctors referred them to Jodhpur due to the seriousness of their injuries. However, Subhash Khatri succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to Jodhpur. His two grandsons, Shyam (5) and Rishabh (2), remain under treatment at a hospital in Jodhpur, where their condition is reported to be critical. The incident also claimed the life of a cow, which was struck by the falling solar panels. The accident triggered panic in the area, with traffic coming to a standstill as debris from the collapsed solar structure scattered across the road. After receiving information, Kotwali Police reached the spot and launched rescue and relief operations. The tragedy left the city in shock, with residents expressing grief after learning about the incident. According to police, powerful storm winds ripped the solar panels off the hotel’s rooftop, causing them to fall onto the road just as the family was passing by on their scooter. Eyewitnesses said the storm intensified rapidly with the season’s first major monsoon rainfall. The large solar structure, along with its iron supports, could not withstand the force of the winds and collapsed onto the busy road. Local residents, despite the heavy rain, rushed to rescue the victims trapped beneath the debris. Witnesses also said several vehicles were damaged in the incident, leading to a major traffic jam. Family members and local residents expressed anger over the delay in the arrival of a government ambulance, raising concerns over the emergency response and disaster management. Later, Congress District President Amardeen Fakir reached the spot and, along with the victims’ family members, arranged a private ambulance to shift the critically injured to Jodhpur. Kotwali Police Station SHO Surajaram confirmed that the solar panels were blown off the hotel rooftop by the storm and fell onto the victims’ scooter. He said Subhash Khatri died while being taken to Jodhpur, while both children continue to undergo treatment.
