Chhatarpur, July 3 (IANS) One person was killed and eight others were injured at Bageshwar Dham in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday when a section of a waterproof tent collapsed following heavy rain and strong winds.

The incident occurred shortly after the “morning Aarti”, as hundreds of devotees had gathered under the tent to seek shelter from the rain.

The crowd had assembled for the ongoing ‘Balaji Divya Darbar’ and the upcoming birthday celebrations of “Dhirendra Krishna Shastri”, the head priest of the Bageshwar Dham.

According to Bamitha police station in-charge Ashutosh Shrutia, water had accumulated on the tent installed in front of the Darbar Hall. The weight of the water, combined with gusty winds, caused a portion of the structure to collapse.

“Eight people were injured, four of them seriously,” the officer said.

All the injured have been admitted to Chhatarpur District Hospital.

The deceased has been identified as Shyamlal Kaushal, 50, a resident of Sikandarpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district. His son-in-law, Rajesh Kumar Kaushal, told the media that his family had travelled from Mankapur village in Gonda district and arrived at Bageshwar Dham on Wednesday night to attend the spiritual gathering.

They had just reached for darshan when the rain started. As they stood under the tent, it suddenly collapsed. An iron angle struck his father-in-law’s head. He died on the spot.

Six members of the family, including Rajesh’s wife Saumya and daughters Parul and Unnati, were among the injured.

Dr Naresh Tripathi of the district hospital confirmed the fatality and said the body has been sent for post-mortem.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

The accident has cast a shadow over the 12-day spiritual festival underway at the Dham, which began on July 1 and is scheduled to continue until July 12.

The main birthday celebration of Dhirendra Shastri is slated for July 4, with thousands of devotees from across India and abroad in attendance.

–IANS

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