A heavy iron gate, removed from its hinges at the entrance of a pond and left leaning against the dilapidated boundary wall, fell on a five-year-old tribal girl, crushing her to death on Thursday evening. The six-year-old cousin of the deceased who was playing with her at the time had a narrow escape.

The girl, Bhumi Mere, lived with her mother Sunita and other relatives in a makeshift arrangement in Lohia Nagar area of Vasai. Due to the lack of water connection, most families residing in the area go to the nearby Papadi pond, which is maintained by the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation, to wash their clothes and dishes and also to take bath.