Makeshift Christmas Bridge Collapses In Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, Leaving 7 Injured

A makeshift bridge set up for a Christmas celebration in Thiruvananthapuram's Poovar area in Kerala on Monday night, collapsed, causing minor injuries to around seven individuals who were promptly taken to the hospital for treatment.

Amidst this incident, Kerala's Christian community celebrated Christmas fervently, commencing with midnight masses held across churches in the state. Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis led the midnight mass at the St Mary's Cathedral of Syro Malankara Catholic Church in the state capital. Simultaneously, Archbishop Thomas Jessayyan Netto of the Latin Catholic Archdiocese in Thiruvananthapuram conducted a service at St. Joseph's Metropolitan Cathedral at Palayam.

Other prominent leaders like Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil of the Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly and Curia Bishop Sebastian Vaniyapurackal, also serving as the Administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archeparchy of the Syro-Malabar Church, led masses in different locations. Vaniyapurackal took on the role of administrator after the resignation of Cardinal George Alencherry as the Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church. Additionally, Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calicut conducted the midnight mass at the Matri Dei Cathedral, widely known as the Devamatha Cathedral.

In their Christmas messages to congregations, several bishops and priests addressed global issues like wars and conflicts. They also referenced Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's description of the assault on Youth Congress (YC) and Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists, allegedly by DYFI workers showing black flags to him, as "rescue efforts."