11 Sabari pilgrims die as bus falls into gorge

Kottayam (Kerala), Feb 17 (PTI) Eleven pilgrims
travelling to the Sabarimala hill shrine were killed and 40
others injured, 20 of them seriously, when their bus fell into
a gorge near Erumeli town in Kottayam district in India's
southern coastal state of Kerala, in the wee hours Tuesday.

The bus, carrying 60 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh's
West Godavari district, slipped into a 50-foot gorge while it
was passing the narrow Pampa Valley road.

As soon as news of the mishap spread, locals rushed to
the spot and took the injured persons to the Medical College
Hospital in Kottayam and Taluk Hospital in Kanjirapally.

Kerala Government has announced a solatium to the kins
of the pilgrims.

The Sabarimala shrine is located in Pathanamthitta
district of Kerala. PTI