Mishap strikes Jagannath Rath Yatra after two run over by chariot wheels

The annual car festival in a village in Odisha's Ganjam district turned tragic when an elderly woman and her five-year-old granddaughter died after coming under the rolling wheels of the chariot of Lord Jagannath, police said on Monday.

The mishap struck Rukuni Sahu and her granddaughter Laxmi at Singipur on Sunday, police said. While Rukuni died on the spot, the child succumbed to injuries at MKCG Medical College Hospital in Behrampur, said Inspector In-Charge of Patapur police station AK Barik.

There is a tradition here to throw nuts to the deity while pulling the chariot. Even as the devotees were jostling to have a clear glimpse of the Lord, the duo fell on the ground before coming under the wooden wheels of the chariot, Barik said.

Over one thousand people of the village and nearby areas thronged the place to pull the chariot, Barik said. Pulling of the chariot was stalled following the incident and resumed on Monday after performance of rituals, sources said.