Ahmedabad: One person died and 31 others sustained injuries when a portion of the balcony of a house they were standing under collapsed on the route of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Tuesday, police said.
The incident took place when the Rath Yatra was passing through Dariyarpur in Ahmedabad. The deceased has been identified as Mehul Panchal while the injured, including seven children, were rushed to the Civil Hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment. However, the condition of one of them still remains critical.
According to police, a portion of the second-floor balcony of the building collapsed while the procession was passing in front of it. A commotion broke out after the accident and police rushed in to bring the situation under control. The injured people were sent to the hospital. Among the injured, one was declared brought dead by doctors, police said.
"There was an old house in Kadianaka on the route of the Rath Yatra. The owner of the house along with several others were standing outside to watch the procession. Suddenly, a portion of the balcony collapsed on them. One person died and 31 others, including the owner of the house, were injured," a top police official said. Sources said that the injured have received fractures, chest and spinal injuries.
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The 146th Rath Yatra was taken out amid tight security and lakhs of devotees gathered along with 18-km route to see the deities. Officials said a total of 26,091 security personnel along with paramilitary forces were deployed during the Rath Yatra.
Earlier, Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel performed the symbolic ritual to clean the chariot's way with a golden broom. Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra started their journey from the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area in their chariots this morning.
