Agartala, Oct. 4: Durga Puja festivity was marred in the remote Muraibari village under Kailasahar subdivision of North Tripura district as three persons died on the spot and 10 were injured after the worn-out wall of a church collapsed on them around 4.30pm yesterday.
The three villagers who were killed were Hinamin Hoana Darlong, 24, Nehitoa Dianga Darlong, 18, and Nunthara Darlong, 18, while those injured were Liana Darlong, 21, Lalsiama Darlong, 20, Bethuama Darlong, Jacob, 17, Lalmira, 23, Soampi, 24, Neliana, 21, Joel, 25, Nansiama, 20, and Lethuama, 26.
Additional superintendent of police (Kailasahar) Shitol Chakraborty said Muraibari village, under the autonomous district council, 9km south of Kailasahar town, had been a traditionally Christian-dominated village, inhabited by indigenous Darlong and Halam communities.
“'The village has an old and dilapidated church which the Christian residents of the village had undertaken to reconstruct through voluntary labour. Yesterday, as the villagers were trying to dismantle the eastern wall of the church, it collapsed on the 13 people engaged in the work,” said Chakraborty.
Deputy inspector-general (operations) Nepal Chandra Das said the accident occurred because those who had offered voluntary labour for reconstructing the church had no technical knowledge. “There would have been no accident had the villagers engaged professional labourers for the task,” said Das.
Blood donation at Agartala pandals
Chief minister Manik Sarkar this morning inaugurated a blood donation camp in the Champamura village beside the Assam-Agartala National Highway 44 under Sadar subdivision. Altogether 200 people donated blood at the camp, organised by the Champamura Bazar Puja committee beside their pandal. The chief minister appreciated the gesture and thanked the organisers.
“Yesterday too, I inaugurated three blood donation camps near Puja pandals of three clubs at Agartala and today, I will inaugurate two more camps; it is indeed a good gesture on the part of the Puja organisers and I hope it continues and grows,” said Sarkar.
