Temple car mishap : two crushed to death, one loses leg

Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, Mar 20 (UNI) Two devotees, including a woman, were crushed to death, while one person lost his leg when they were caught under the wheels of a temple chariot at Tiruvanaikovil, near here this morning.

Police sources said the mishap occurred when hundreds of devotees were pulling the chariot of the historic Sri Jambukeshwarar and Akhilandeswari temple as part of the 'Panguni' festivities.

When the temple car was being pulled, the woman slipped and fell while attempting to place a coconut under the wheels. A man, who saw this, tried to save her.

In the melee, both of them were trapped under the giant wheels and crushed to death. They were identified as Indirani(55) and Vijayan(53).

Six other devotees, who were also pulling the chariot, were injured in the melee. Of them, Damodaran (54) lost his leg after it was caught between the wheels.

He was admitted to the Government Hospital here.

The temple authorities immediately stopped the car and after performing a 'Parihara Pooja', the car was again pulled around the main streets of the temple.

Acting on information, District Collector Ashish Vachchani, City Corporation Mayor Sarubala Thondaiman and senior police officials rushed to the spot.

UNI