Ganesh immersion festivities took a tragic turn late on Saturday night, when five devotees sustained severe electric shocks after accidentally coming into contact with a high-tension power line near Khairani Road in Sakinaka. One person died, while the rest were admitted to the hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, the accident happened when a group of devotees was accompanying a Ganesh idol for immersion and holding the rod of the vehicle on which the idol was placed. “The height of our idol was 23.5 feet. Tata Power`s high-tension wire was at 30 feet, so there was a good six feet distance between the two. However, at one point, there was another wire suspended vertically, connected to the horizontal high-tension wire. This wire touched the POP idol, and electric current passed through it to the entire vehicle,” said Arjun Gupta, an eyewitness and relative of those admitted to the hospital.

Shambhu Raghunath Kamat is a vegetable seller. PICS/RITIKA GONDHALEKAR