17 hurt as rock rolls down on devotees in Odisha

At least 17 devotees were injured in a mishap when a huge boulder from Jatia Baba hill in Sudargarh district rolled over them while they were standing in queue for darshan of presiding deity of Lord Shiva on the occasion of Mahashivratri.

Rourkela (Odisha):As many as 17 devotees were injured after a large boulder hit them while they were standing in queue for darshan of the presiding deity at hilltop Jatia Baba Temple in Odisha's Sundargarh district on Friday, said police.

According to reports, the devotees had gathered at the temple on the occasion of Maha Shivratri and the incident occurred when a large boulder got dislodged and crashed into the devotees.

The devotees were walking up the hill slope to have darshan of the presiding deity of the temple, which is located atop the Jatiapahar Hill near Birmitrapur.

The injured persons were immediately admitted to Hatibari health CHC. Later, as many as 10 people were shifted to Rourkela Government Hospital as their health condition deteriorated.

(With inputs from IANS)