Two more Ayyappa devotees succumb to burns suffered in Hubballi gas cylinder explosion

Hubballi (Karnataka): Two more Ayyappa devotees on Friday succumbed to their burns suffered in a gas cylinder explosion in Hubbali district earlier this week, taking the total death toll of the incident to four, police said.

Nine devotees of Lord Ayyappa were staying in a room when an LPG cylinder caught fire, injuring them badly at Achchhavana Colony in Sainagar, Hubballi, on Monday.

Among them, two victims succumbed to their burn injuries on Thursday morning following which Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

"Two more victims died today. One of them succumbed to injuries this morning, while the other died this evening. Out of the remaining five devotees who are undergoing treatment at the hospital, four are stated to be critical," a senior police office said.