Kerala CM condoles death of Sabarimala pilgrims from TN

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 24 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday condoled the death of eight Sabarimala devotees from Tamil Nadu, who died in a road accident in Theni district.

The mishap occurred while the pilgrims were on their way back home after offering prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in the southern state. Terming the incident as “sad”, Vijayan conveyed his condolence to the bereaved family of the deceased, a CMO statement here said.

He also lauded the rescue mission carried out at the accident site by officials and locals on late Friday night, it added. State Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan also expressed grief over the demise of the Ayyappa devotees. In a message, he said at least 10 people, including a child were present in the vehicle which was involved in the accident.

The Idukki District Collector was entrusted with the task of coordinating the rescue operations and the Tamil Nadu Devaswom authorities were contacted in the night itself. While seven people died on the spot, one succumbed to injuries en route to the hospital, officials added.