At least three persons were killed and eight others injured in separate incidents in Odisha during Lord Jagannath's chariot-pulling ritual, officials said.
While two persons in Keonjhar district and one person in Koraput district were electrocuted to death as the chariots came in contact with a live electric wire, two others were injured in the incidents, they said.
The dead were identified as Jugal Kishore Barik (45), Barun Giri (50) and Biswanath Nayak (22).
In Puri, six people, including policemen, were injured when the rope of a chariot snapped. They were admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital, the officials said.
Meanwhile, the Rath Yatra Committee has blamed the authorities concerned of the power distribution company for the deaths, and filed a complaint at the Koraput sadar police station.
Though it was earlier decided to stop power supply during the pulling of chariots, the company did not oblige it, the committee said in the complaint.
"Inquiry is on to ascertain the circumstances in which the mishap occurred and necessary action will be taken," said Kiranbala Samal, Inspector-in-Charge of Koraput sadar police station.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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