Overview
- A patch of reinforced concrete fell from the Mugappu Mandapam ceiling near the Samayapuram Mariamman Temple in Tiruchi, striking pilgrims as they slept.
- The victim was M. Nathiya, 32, from Keezhathirupanthurithi in Thanjavur, who died from the impact of the debris.
- Two others — S. Ranjini, 35, and her daughter S. Babiksha, 14, from Kallaperambur — were injured and are receiving care at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi.
- Rescuers and police took the injured first to the Manachanallur Government Hospital, where doctors declared Nathiya dead, before moving patients to city facilities and sending her body to Srirangam for autopsy.
- Officials have not identified a cause, and Samayapuram police are investigating the collapse at a hall that many devotees use for overnight rest during temple visits.