New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday expressed grief over the deaths of several people during a Ganesha immersion in Karnataka, and said it was a heart-rending tragedy.
Eight persons were killed, and over 20 others injured when a truck ploughed into a Ganesha immersion procession in a village in the Hassan district Friday night.
Among the injured, at least eight individuals are currently in critical condition.
Modi said on X, “The mishap in Hassan, Karnataka, is heart-rending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those who have been injured recover at the earliest.”
He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each, he added.