4 Dead, Several Injured in Accident
Four people were killed and nine others sustained injuries after a crane collapsed during a temple festival in Arakkonam taluka of Tamil Nadu’s Ranipet district.
The Draupathi Amman festivities were being held at the Draupathi Temple in the Kilveedi village in the district.
The traditional festival after Pongal is held yearly in ‘Draupathi’ and ‘Mandiamman’ temples near Arakkonam. Devotees as a mark of their devotion hang from the crane and garland the god and goddess during the temple event.
On sunday around 8.15pm, the crane suddenly collapsed and three people died on the spot whereas one succumbed to injuries this morning, taking the total fatalities to four. Nine people were admitted to the hospital and are undergoing treatment, the official said.
The crane operator has been taken into custody and an investigation is being conducted, a senior official said.
“Four people have died. There was no permission or intimation for using the crane at the temple festival. It is a private temple. Each year they used to conduct temple festivals but this year the very festival crane was used to garland the deity. An investigation is happening in this regard,” said Ranipet collector Bhaskara Pandiyan.
Further details are awaited.
