Jabalpur: Two men were electrocuted and more than 30 others injured late on Sunday night when a vehicle transporting a Durga idol for immersion came into contact with a high-tension power line in the Gaura Bazar area, police officials confirmed on Monday.

The incident occurred as the truck, carrying the idol from Temar Bhita locality, was en route for immersion. According to Additional Superintendent of Police Anjana Tiwari, a metal pipe on the vehicle made contact with an 11,000 kV overhead line, triggering a surge of electricity.

Initial police reports suggested that around 10 to 15 people had suffered electric shocks. However, Dr Nitin Yadav, a duty doctor at the Government Victoria Hospital, told PTI Videos that 35 individuals had been brought in for treatment.

“Among them, two were declared dead on arrival. The remaining 33 were admitted across various wards, including the ICU. Fortunately, the condition of all the injured is stable,” he said.

The deceased have been identified as Chintu Vishwakarma (38) and Akhilesh Patel (48), both of whom were travelling on the vehicle at the time of the incident.

An eyewitness said the truck was decorated with iron poles for the Navratri celebration, which likely caused the contact with the high-voltage line.

A case has been registered by the local police, and further investigation is under way.

Following the tragedy, senior officials including State Public Works Minister Rakesh Singh, regional MLA Ashok Rohani, District Collector Raghvendra Singh, and Superintendent of Police Sampat Upadhyay visited the hospital to assess the situation and meet the injured.