Temple chariot fire kills at least 6, leaves 10 others with burns in India’s remote northeast

Guwahati (AP) — A temple chariot caught fire Wednesday killing at least six people and leaving 10 others with burns after it came in contact with an overhead high-tension electric wire in India’s remote northeast, a state lawmaker said.

A large crowd was part of the procession taking place near a temple in the Kumarghat area, nearly 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Tripura, the state capital, said Bhagawan Das, a lawmaker with the governing Bharatiya Janata Party.

Indian media said a large crowd of devotees of the Hindu god Jagannath was pulling the wood and steel chariot during the procession.

The injured were hospitalized, some with serious burns, Das said.

The chariot is a huge wheeled wooden structure used by temples during religious festivities that can be 18 meters (45 feet) high.

Last year, 11 people died in a similar incident in the southern Tamil Nadu state when a temple chariot came in contact with an overhead electric wire.