Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Aug 23: Janmashtmi celebrations turned sour when 41 persons lost their lives after their tractor trolly turned turtle on Monday morning in Ballia district around 300 kms from Lucknow. Ten others were serious and admitted to the hospital. State governor BL Joshi and Chief Minister Mayawati expressed their deep grief over the tragedy.

Chief Minister Mayawati sanctioned a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to those who died in the mishap. She also gave Rs 50,000 to those who were critically injured and Rs
25,000 to the other injured.

Reports said that the family members and neighbours of one Rajbhar Verma, hailing from Usmanpur hamlet of Ubhan in Balia were going for darshan at Shakti Mai Temple at Amwa hamlet of Kasmabad in adjacent Ghazipur district on Monday morning. When they were passing through Hauwapur locality of Nagra in Balia, their tractor trolley suddenly slipped into a pond and turned turtle in which most of the victims were trapped under water and drowned. The local villagers rushed to the spot and called  the police but they failed to save anyone except those who jumped out of the trolley before it turned  turtle.

According to reports the local police later fished out 41 bodies from the pond.