Hyderabad: The State Government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each bereaved family of the victims who were electrocuted while taking out a rally as part of Krishna Janmashtami celebrations at Ramanthapur on Sunday night. Six people were electrocuted and a dozen persons were injured in the incident.

State IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu visited Gandhi Hospital and enquired about the health condition of the injured in the mishap. The minister said that the government would provide Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to every victim’s family and would bear the entire medical expenses to provide treatment to the injured.

Stating that the accident was “extremely tragic and unfortunate,” Sridhar Babu said that the mishap occurred when the ‘Shobha Yatra’ was about to conclude in just a few minutes. Preliminary investigations suggested that the cable wires were live with power supply when the accident happened. A thorough probe was ordered under the supervision of the district Collector, he said. Sridhar Babu warned of strict action against those who were found responsible for the incident. In view of heavy rains and the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, the minister said that a special drive had been ordered to review and address the risks posed by hanging cables and electric wires in the Greater Hyderabad limits.