TIRUCHY: One person died while five sustained severe injuries after a temple car collapsed in Pudukkottai on Monday while readying it for the car festival which was scheduled in the evening.

The annual Aani car festival of Sri Muthumariamman temple at Mathur Ramasamypuram near Aranthangi in Pudukkottai was scheduled on Monday at 4 pm for which the temple staff were readying the temple car since morning.

The workers who were decorating the car were fixing the ‘kavacham’ atop.

Suddenly, the temple car structure collapsed and fell to the ground.

Six workers who were identified as Mahalingam (70), Vijayakumar (34), Alagar (55) all from Mathur Ramasamypuram, Gopu (40) from Keeramangalam, Arumugam (40) from Senthakudi and Ganesan (40) from Melakadu in Keeramangalam were trapped under the collapsed car.

They were soon rescued from the spot and were rushed to the GH at Peravurani in Thanjavur.

However, among the injured Mahalingam, died on the way to the hospital.

Subsequently, the body of Mahalingam was kept in the GH for post-mortem while the injured were undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, the temple authorities cancelled the car festival after the incident.