The incident occurred during a temple festival at Keelvedhi village near Nemili in Ranipet district on 22 January.
Published Jan 23, 2023 | 9:31 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 23, 2023 | 10:40 AM
Three people died in crane mishap at a temple festival in Ranipet. (Screengrab)
Three persons died and five others sustained grievous injuries after a crane collapsed during a temple festival at Keelvedhi village near Nemili in Ranipet district on Sunday, 22 January.
According to police, the incident occurred as the Draupathi Amman festival was being celebrated in the village.
As a part of the festival, a procession was underway carrying the deity around the village.
The temple committee had arranged a crane to carry the deity and the procession began at 7 pm on Sunday.
Nearly eight persons from the festival committee, including the temple priest, were on the crane, as the deity was taken around the village.
Those on the crane were receiving garlands for the deity from the devotees and the villagers.
Police said that around 8 pm, the crane collapsed and those on it fell some 25 feet to the ground. Villagers who were scampering away on seeing the crane fall added to the confusion.
Police alerted fire and rescue personnel and the 108 ambulance service.
The injured were taken to the nearby Primary Health Centre at Ponnai village. After first aid, the seriously injured were moved to the Arakkonam government hospital, where three of them were declared brought dead.
The deceased were identified as S Boobalan (40), K Muthukumar (40), and B Jothibabu, a 17-year-old boy.
The remaining were admitted to the hospital ICU, where the doctors said their condition was critical and was being monitored.
According to the local village administrative officer, around 1,000 people were gathered at the time of the incident and a complaint has been lodged and an investigation underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.
