As many as 13 persons were injured, two of them critically, when a mini bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims overturned at Nilackal on Monday.
The accident took place around 4.30 a.m. when the bus, carrying Sabarimala devotees from Tamil Nadu, was moving out of a parking ground here and overturned. The devotees were returning after offering darshan at the hill shrine.
The injured were taken to the Government Medical College, Kottayam.
Heavy rush in Sabarimala
Meanwhile, the hillock here has been witnessing a heavy rush of pilgrims over since December 23, prompting the authorities to impose strict crowd control measures. The pilgrims are now permitted to trek up the hill only in batches. As per estimates, 1.09 lakh devotees visited the Ayyappa temple here on Sunday alone.
In a bid to ease the rush, the police are now regulating the entry of vehicles carrying pilgrims at the various stop over points. Irked over the inordinate delay in commencing their onward journey, devotees have been staging protests at Erumely and Ponkunnam. The Pala-Ponkunnam route is facing a major traffic disruption owing to the protests.
