Kerala - Pathanamthitta   

Heavy rain in Sabarimala, rush of devotees continues

Staff Reporter

Pilgrim dies of heart attack at Sannidhanam

PATHANAMTHITTA: The forest areas of Sabarimala witnessed heavy rains on Tuesday and hundreds of devotees trekked the holy hills, braving the heavy downpour.

The Pampa-Marakkoottom Swami Ayyappan Road and the Marakkoottom-Sannidhanam-Chandranandan Road turned slushy in the rain, making the trek difficult for the elderly pilgrims. Sabarimala has been witnessing frequent power disruptions for the past two days reportedly owing to certain technical snags in the 220 KV sub-station in Moozhiyar.

According to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) sources, an expert team of the KSEB has reached Moozhiyar on Tuesday to rectify the problem.

A 48-year old pilgrim, Prasannan of Chirayinkeezh Madan-nada Aswathy Bhavan, died of heart attack at Sannidhanam Government Hospital on Tuesday.

Prasannan, who had developed chest pain, was taken to the hospital around 8.15 a.m. where he was declared dead at 8.30 a.m.

Delay

There were allegations of delay on the part of the hospital authorities in arranging a stretcher to take the body of the deceased to Pampa on the foothills till certain staff attached to the Travancore Devaswom Board interfered.

The hospital authorities have clarified that they could not sent the body to Pampa early owing to non-availability of a stretcher in the morning.

The eight-year old son of the deceased, Sarath, who too had accompanied his father to Sabarimala, was found weeping beside his father's body at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom volunteers were brought to the hospital to take the body in their stretcher to Pampa on the foothills, later at 11.30 a.m.

The deceased was an auto driver in Chirayinkeezh and this is the second casualty owing to heart attack in Sabarimala in the past four days.

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