Ranipet: At least four people were killed while five others sustained injuries after a crane crashed at a temple festival in Tamil Nadu. The incident was reported from the Draupathi temple at Ranipet on Sunday evening.
The dead have been identified as S Bhoopalan (40), B Jothibabu (17), K Muthukumar (39) and Chinnasamy (60).
As per police, the crane was used by the devotees to perambulate around the temple and a few devotees were accepting flower garlands from those who had gathered to fulfil a vow when the incident occurred.
A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows the crane – with people hanging on to it – collapsing to the ground.
The Mayilerum thiruvizha event at the Droupadiamman and Mandiamman temples at Kezhaveethi, Nemelli, in Arakkonam near here, is an annual ritual held after the harvest festival (Pongal).
Ranipet Collector Bhaskara Pandiyan said the crane operator has been taken into custody and further investigation into the incident is underway.
