- A large tree collapsed on the jungle gym at Winthrop Elementary School in Melrose, Massachusetts, shortly after school dismissal on Monday.
- Three people were taken to a local hospital — two were treated and released, but a third student died from his injuries.
- The boy, Zakaria Bel Qaid, had just celebrated his 9th birthday.
- His family said he spent his final moments laughing and playing tag with his little sister.
MELROSE, Massachusetts — A normal Monday afternoon turned into a tragedy no parent should ever have to imagine.
A 9-year-old boy is dead after a tree collapsed onto a playground at Winthrop Elementary School in Melrose, Massachusetts — just minutes after the school day ended.
Police and firefighters rushed to the scene shortly after dismissal. A large tree from a neighboring property had fallen directly onto the school’s jungle gym, where children were still playing.
Three people were rushed to a local hospital. Two were treated and released. The third — a young boy — did not survive.
The Boy Who Just Turned 9
His name was Zakaria Bel Qaid.
He had just celebrated his 9th birthday.
His family shared the news on Instagram Tuesday, and their words paint a picture of a boy full of life.
“He spent his last moments laughing and playing tag with his little sister and her friend,” the family wrote.
They described Zakaria as “fun and incredibly loving, loyal, determined, confident, silly, stubborn and the very best mama’s boy.”
He was in his final moments exactly where a child should be — outside, laughing, playing with his sister.
What Happened on the Playground
Aerial footage from WCVB in Boston shows the scale of what came down. A massive tree lies across the jungle gym, the kind of image that is hard to look at once you know what happened beneath it.
Conditions in the area were breezy on Monday evening. Local weather stations recorded wind gusts of around 40 mph, including a 42-mph gust at nearby Swampscott High School. AccuWeather meteorologists noted there were no widespread reports of wind damage across Massachusetts, but the localized gust was enough to bring the tree down.
School and City Officials Respond
Melrose Public Schools Superintendent Cari Berman and Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis released a joint statement confirming the student’s death.
“It is with great sadness that we share that the student who was seriously injured yesterday afternoon during the incident on the Winthrop School playground has died,” they said.
The school community is now grieving one of its own — a child who walked onto that playground after school and never came home.
A Community Left With Painful Questions
Investigations into how and why the tree fell are expected to follow. Questions about the condition of trees on neighboring properties near school grounds — and who is responsible for monitoring them — will likely be at the center of those conversations.
But for now, Melrose is mourning.
A family is planning a funeral for a boy who just had a birthday. A little sister watched her brother play, not knowing it would be the last time.
Zakaria Bel Qaid was 9 years old. He deserved so many more birthdays.
If this story moved you, leave a comment below. This community — and this family — needs to know they are not grieving alone.
