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8 Sabarimala pilgrims killed as car falls into gorge
The car hit a tree due to heavy fog and mist and fell into a 60-feet deep gorge and police said it took several hours for the rescue team to retrieve the trapped pilgrims in inclement weather
Eight pilgrims of Sabarimala hill shrine in Kerala died on Friday night after their car overturned and fell into a gorge near Kumily in Idukki district, police said. Initial reports suggest the vehicle hit a tree due to heavy fog and mist and fell into the gorge. Police said the mishap happened around 11pm on Kumily- Kambham national highway.
There were 10 pilgrims in the car and seven died on the spot and one later succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Two injured, including a 10-year-old boy, are in critical condition. Police said the mishap happened when they were returning to their native place Andipatty in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district after pilgrimage. The gorge is around 60-feet deep and it took several hours for the rescue team to retrieve the trapped pilgrims in inclement weather, police said adding they will discourage night travel in coming days due to heavy fog in the forest stretch.
The hill-top shrine is situated in Pamba tiger reserve in Western Ghats mountain ranges in Pathanamthitta district, about 3000 feet above sea level. Pilgrims from across the country throng the shrine during the annual festival season between November and January. Due to heavy rush the temple board was forced to cap daily pilgrims’ flow to the temple to 90,000 this year.
