Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan): In a tragic incident, a tractor-trolley full of devotees returning from a temple fell into a gorge on Monday killing nine people on the spot while injuring at least 25 others in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan.
The tractor-trolley full of devotees fell from the hill into the gorge at around 6 pm. As per the inputs from the ground, nine devotees lost their lives while 25 others injured in the mishap are being treated in various hospitals in the state. Some of the injured are in critical condition. The devotees were returning after visiting Mansa Mata in the Udaipurwati area of Jhunjhunu.
As soon as the mishap took place, locals rushed to the spot and informed the police as well. The injured were taken to Udaipurwati Hospital. District Collector Dr. Khushal Yadav and SP Mridul Kachhawa also reached Udaipurwati Hospital as soon as the accident was reported. A crowd of people had already assembled outside the Udaipurwati Hospital to help those bringing the injured as ambulances started reaching the hospital one after the other.
"We got the information about the tragic incident at 6:30 pm. We immediately activated the administrative and medical departments to provide relief to those injured. 34 people were rushed to different hospitals of which nine have lost their lives," said Dr Yadav.
SP Kachhawa said that some of those injured have been referred to Sikar and Jaipur. He said that a search operation at the site of the mishap is on to ascertain that no other persons are left behind. As per officials, the majority of the deceased are women. Eyewitnesses said that all the devotees had travelled about one and a half kilometre ahead of the temple when the accident took place. A special statue of Durga Mata installed in the Mansa Mata temple is what brings hoards of people to the religious site. On Monday, there was a program of Prana Pratishtha of the idol and food offering in the temple, in which a large number of people came from the surrounding rural areas.
The wounded are being treated at the hospital. Doctors fear the number of fatalities may increase as several of those injured are in critical condition.
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