In a tragic incident, five youngsters aged between 18 and 22, drowned inside a temple tank here while giving a bath to the deity, as part of a festival. According to preliminary investigation by the police, it is believed that one of them drowned in the tank and the other four went in to save him, but they also ended up drowning.
The tragic incident took place at the Dharmalingeshwarar Temple in Nanganallur in Chennai on Wednesday afternoon on the occasion of the Theerthavari festival during the Tamil month of Panguni. Around 20 youngsters were inside the temple tank to perform the ritual, where the five youngsters drowned.
Video footage showed the youngsters performing the rituals by immersing themselves inside the water and coming out after a while. The footage also showed people drowning and others trying to save them.
“All five of them have died,” MSME minister and Alandur MLA T M Anbarasan told reporters. Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the death and announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased who were identified as Raghavan (18), Surya (22), Banesh (22), Raghavan (22), and Yogeshwaran (21).
“The organisers should have conducted the rituals with due caution. The accident occurred as no necessary safety precaution was not taken. We have asked the temple authorities to explain whether they informed the police about the festival,” Anbarasan said.
Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal also visited the spot and said that one person slipped and fell into the deep end of the pond, following which four others went in.
Published 05 April 2023, 07:26 IST