kolkata

Updated: Aug 28, 2017 10:04 IST

Three persons died and six were injured in Kolkata when a Ganesh idol they were carrying for immersion touched overhead railway wires electrocuting the revellers. The disaster took place around 1 am on Monday when the revellers of a community puja went to Baje Kadamtala ghat of the Hooghly river for immersing the idol.

The spot is close to Eden Gardens. The six are being treated in a hospital.

A labourer, Bapi Mondal, hired to carry the idol to the river bank, died on the spot. Two other died in a hospital. One of them Bimal Sahani, was one of the puja organisers.

Read: Ganesh Chaturthi 2017: Eco-friendly pandals, cultural events and more in Delhi-NCR

Community Ganesha worships have become popular in Kolkata over the past few years.

Accidents during immersions in Kolkata are not uncommon, but incidents of electrocution are rare on such occasions.

Police sources told HT that the idol was about 25 feet tall. While the revellers were carrying it on their shoulders across a railway line to reach the river bank, the tip of the structure touched the overhead electric wires that carry high voltage electricity. The idol caught fire.

In Kolkata, organisers of community pujas immerse most of the idols at different points -- called ghats -- along the Hooghly river that demarcates the western border of the city. The ghat at Baje Kadamtala is one of the points that are frequently used.

Read: Mumbaiites bid adieu to 46,000 Ganesh idols on Day 1 of immersion

After the disaster, the revellers started an agitation with the bodies. They alleged that during the immersion of idols there are adequate police arrangements, but there was none this time.

GRP officers have started an investigation.