When a chariot caught fire during a Rath Yatra procession in Kumarghat in Tripura’s Unokoti district on Wednesday night after it struck a high-tension wire, seven people—including two minors—were murdered and 18 others were hurt. The six injured are claimed to be in critical condition, and they have been sent to Agartala Government Medical College.
During Lord Jagannath’s ‘Ulta Rath Yatra’ event, the incident took place at about 4.30 p.m. in the Kumarghat area.
One week after Rath Yatra, the celebration commemorates the sibling deities Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath returning to their holy abode.
People were joyfully tugging the “Rath,” which was made of iron, during the celebrations. According to investigators, the ‘Rath’ unintentionally came into contact with a 133kv overhead cable during the procession. Manik Saha, the chief minister, expressed his condolences for the fatalities.
“In a terrible incident in Kumarghat, a number of pilgrims perished and a number suffered injuries when they were electrocuted while pulling the ‘Ulta Rath’. This incident has caused me much sadness. My sincere condolences go out to the grieving family. I also wish those who were hurt a quick recovery. In this trying moment, the state government is by their side.
“The accident that occurred at Kumarghat during Ulta Rath Yatra is tragic. We offer our condolences to those who lost loved ones in this accident. May those who were hurt quickly heal. According to a tweet from PMO, the local administration is offering people affected all the aid it can.
The PMO tweets again, this time announcing that “Rs. 2 lakh ex-gratia from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs. 50,000 would be given to those injured in the mishap in Tripura.