Four people died and nine others were injured after a crane collapsed during a temple festival event in Tamil Nadu's Keelveethi in Arakkonam on Sunday evening. It was reported that there was no permission granted to use the crane during the festival. Tamil Nadu Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department PK Sekar Babu is scheduled to visit the accident spot in Ranipet on Monday.
"The crane operator is taken into custody and the investigation is underway," said Ranipet Collector Bhaskara Pandiyan as quoted by news agency ANI.
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The victims were identified as Muthukumar, 31, Jyothibabu, 19 and S Bhoopalan, 41. Eight persons were atop the crane that carried the idol of the deity in a procession across the town during the festival of Draupathi Amman at Kilveedi village.
During the procession, the crane collapsed and all eight fell to the ground and were severely injured. Around 1,500 people were present on the road and on the premises of the temple when the accident occurred.
Police said that after the crane collapsed, the injured were taken immediately to the Arkonnam Government Taluk Hospital. Doctors at the hospital said that of them three were brought dead. The injuries sustained by five others are critical, and police said that the doctors were tight-lipped on the injured people.
Nemili police told IANS that an investigation has commenced and further inquiries on the reason for the mishap were being probed.
(With IANS inputs)