E-Paper
Five men electrocuted to death during Janmashtami celebrations in Hyderabad
Telangana transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar and state Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud expressed their condolences over the incident.
Five people died of electrocution in Hyderabad when they came in contact with live electric wires while pulling a chariot carrying Lord Krishna idol as part of Janmashtami celebrations late on Sunday night, the police said.
The tragic incident took place at Gokulnagar in Ramanthapur area around midnight, and the deceased were identified as Krishna Yadav (21), Suresh Yadav (34), Srikanth Reddy (35), Rudra Vikas (39), and Rajendra Reddy (45).
“Their bodies were shifted to Gandhi Hospital for postmortem. We are yet to ascertain how the mishap exactly happened. An investigation is on,” an official from the Uppal police station said.
According to the police, the men were taking out a procession of Lord Krishna on a decorated chariot. When the vehicle towing the chariot broke down and was halted on the roadside, a few youngsters began pulling the chariot manually.
“In the process, the chariot touched high-tension power lines. Nine people who were pulling the chariot sustained electric shocks and were flung away by the impact,” the official said.
Locals, who were initially terrified, rushed to provide first aid before shifting the injured to a private hospital nearby. However, doctors confirmed that five had already died.
“The other four injured are undergoing treatment at the same hospital,” the official said, adding that their condition is stable.
Telangana transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar and state Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud expressed their condolences over the incident.
“Since it is raining heavily for the last few days, people should take adequate precautions while taking out such processions, as there is every possibility of snapping of electric lines due to rains,” Prabhakar said, adding that the government will extend all possible assistance to the bereaved families.
