A festive procession turned into a tragedy in Jharkhand's Khunti district when two teenage students lost their lives and seven others suffered burn injuries after a temple chariot came in contact with an 11,000-volt overhead power line near a school in Torpa on Monday.
The victims, all students of Sri Hari Plus-2 School, were reportedly near the chariot during the lunch break. The rath had remained parked close to the school since the Rath Yatra celebrations held on July 16.
According to preliminary information, the chariot was being shifted to another location with the assistance of some students when its metallic structure accidentally touched the high-voltage transmission line.
The contact triggered a powerful electric current that spread through the chariot, electrocuting the children and causing severe burn injuries to several others.
The incident sparked panic in the area as residents rushed to the scene. Local people rescued the injured children from the electrified chariot and transported them to Torpa Referral Hospital for emergency treatment.
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Two critically injured students, identified as 17-year-olds Chandan Kumar and Tejeshwar Mahto, were referred to Khunti Sadar Hospital but died before reaching the facility. Doctors declared both students brought dead.
"Both the students were brought dead at around 2 pm. Further details will emerge after the postmortem, but preliminary findings indicated burn injuries caused by electrocution," said Dr Raghunandan Bhagat of Khunti Sadar Hospital.
One more critically injured student was shifted to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, for specialised treatment. The remaining injured students continue to receive treatment at Torpa Referral Hospital.
The injured have been identified as Rupesh Singh, Arman Alam, Pankaj Ram, Giriraj Yadav, Sujay Lohra, Nilay Ekka and another student.
School principal Kiran Herenj said many students usually return home during the lunch break and expressed uncertainty about how the children gathered near the parked chariot at the time of the incident.
James Kujur, Executive Engineer of the Electricity Department, said no permission had been sought from the department to move the chariot. He added that the mishap occurred while it was being relocated and confirmed that an FIR would be lodged against those responsible.
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