Nine devotees of Lord Ayyappa were seriously injured in an LPG cylinder blast at a Shiva temple in Hubballi district of Karnataka.
The explosion occurred on Sunday night in the Sainagar area of Hubballi. The devotees were sleeping in the temple room when the tragedy took place, said the police.
All the injured people were immediately rushed to KIMS Hospital. Their condition is said to be critical, a report by news agency PTI said citing police sources.
Police suspect that the devotees did not turn off the cylinder knob properly after cooking food, which resulted in the blast.
The devotees were on a trip to Sabarimala's Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala.
Travancore Devaswom Board president PS Prashanth said more than 22 lakh Lord Ayyappa devotees visited Sabarimala in the past 29 days up to December 14, marking an increase of 4.51 lakh pilgrims from the corresponding period last year.
He said the total revenue at the temple increased by ₹22.76 crore from the same period a year ago.
The total revenue received in the period amounted to ₹163.89 crore. Of this, the revenue from Aravana (prasadam) sales was ₹82.67 crore, while income from the offering box was ₹52.27 crore.
The income from Aravana sales rose by ₹17.41 crore from the ₹65.26 crore received last year, he said, adding that the collection from the offering box brought in ₹8.35 crore more than the amount received during the same period last year.
Prashanth also said that all facilities have been arranged for the pilgrims to have a smooth darshan at the temple this year and thanked all the departments, including the police who cooperated with the Devaswom Board.
