11 die when truck hits power line at Hindu festival in India

NEW DELHI (AP) — Eleven people were electrocuted to death when their truck, decorated as a temple chariot, touched an overhead electric power transmission wire during a Hindu festival procession in southern India, police said.

The New Delhi Television channel said the truck, crowded with devotees, also caught fire by the electric spark.

Another three people suffered burn injuries and were hospitalized in Thanjavur, a city in Tamil Nadu state, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

The deaths occurred early Wednesday when the temple chariot procession was underway in Thanjavur district, 340 kilometers (210 miles) south of Chennai, the state capital, police said. The procession was organized by a local Hindu temple. Other details were not immediately available.

Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. The area is known for its heritage temples.