Mangaluru : A cleaner of a lorry died after a tree fell on his vehicle in Odabayi near Sullia on the Mani-Sullia Highway on Monday afternoon. The deceased has been identified as Mohammed Kunhi (38) of Navoor village in Sullia,

Owing to the accident, the movement of vehicles on the highway was affected for nearly two hours.

The Sullia police said that the lorry was coming towards Sullia from Puttur. A huge portion the tree, which was on the roadside, fell on the moving lorry.

Passers-by immediately alerted police and the Fire and Emergency Services personnel.

It took the police and fire personnel nearly two hours to remove the portion of the tree that had fallen on the lorry.

Mr. Kunhi’s elder brother, who was driving the lorry, had suffered grievous injuries on the lower half of his body. The police said that after preliminary treatment at a hospital in Sullia, the driver was shifted to a private hospital in Mangaluru for further treatment.