According to local administrative officials and eyewitness accounts, the towering chariot—standing roughly six stories high—suddenly became unstable and tilted beyond recovery while being maneuvered through the narrow passage. The sheer scale of the structure meant that those in its immediate vicinity had little time to react. Several devotees were pinned beneath the heavy wreckage of the toppled float, sustaining serious injuries as the wooden frame splintered upon impact. Local bystanders and festival-goers were the first to respond, clawing through the debris to reach those trapped before professional emergency units could navigate the congested festival routes.
Emergency services and rescue teams arrived shortly after the collapse, coordinating a swift evacuation of the wounded to nearby medical facilities for urgent treatment. While the exact number of casualties is still being tallied, the severity of the trauma reported from the scene has put local hospitals on high alert. Vellore district authorities have since cordoned off the area to facilitate a comprehensive investigation into the structural integrity of the chariot and the safety protocols followed during the event. Preliminary inquiries are focusing on whether the ground stability or the mechanical distribution of weight contributed to the fatal tilt.
This harrowing incident has cast a somber shadow over the Mayana Kollai festivities, raising urgent questions regarding the regulation of large-scale religious structures in densely populated areas. As the regional administration begins a formal review of public safety mandates, the focus remains on the recovery of the injured and the structural assessment of ceremonial icons used in public processions. The collapse serves as a grim reminder of the thin line between traditional fervor and public peril, necessitating a stricter balance between cultural preservation and modern safety standards to prevent such avoidable disasters in the future.
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