Overview
- City and school officials said Tuesday the child injured in Monday’s Winthrop Elementary playground accident has died, and the other injured student and an adult were released.
- A large tree from the Phineas Upham House property next door crashed onto a jungle gym shortly after dismissal and bent the fence that separates the lots.
- The family identified the victim as 9-year-old Zakaria Bel Qaid and requested donations to Green Mountain Academy in his honor.
- Melrose police, working with Massachusetts State Police for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, are investigating the collapse and have not identified a cause.
- Investigators are reviewing reports of gusty wind at the time and recent inspections that the Upham Family Society said showed no warning signs, while the playground remains closed and counselors support students and staff.