Thiruvananthapuram: A Christmas celebration in Thiruvananthapuram’s Poovar area took a distressing turn as a makeshift bridge collapsed on Monday night. The incident resulted in minor injuries to approximately seven individuals, all of whom were promptly taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Amidst the festive season, the Christian community in Kerala enthusiastically celebrated Christmas with midnight masses and festivities in various churches across the state. Despite the joyful atmosphere, the bridge collapse incident temporarily marred the celebrations in Poovar.
VIDEO | A makeshift bridge set up for #Christmas celebrations collapsed in the Neyyattinkara town in Kerala’s Trivandrum earlier today. Several injuries were reported. Rescue operations are underway. pic.twitter.com/5oTgLCiyo7
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 25, 2023
The collapsed makeshift bridge, set up for the Christmas celebration, led to injuries, though fortunately, they were minor. Emergency services responded swiftly to ensure the injured individuals received necessary medical care.
In other parts of the state, midnight masses were conducted in churches, symbolizing the commencement of Christmas festivities. Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis led the midnight mass at St Mary’s Cathedral of Syro Malankara Catholic Church in the state capital. Archbishop Thomas Jessayyan Netto of the Latin Catholic Archdiocese in Thiruvananthapuram presided over the service at St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral at Palayam.
Additional services were conducted by Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil of the Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly at St. Francis Assisi Church, Curia Bishop Sebastian Vaniyapurackal at Kochi, and Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calicut at the Matri Dei Cathedral, also known as the Devamatha Cathedral.
In their Christmas messages, some bishops and priests addressed global issues, including wars and conflicts, while others mentioned the recent incident involving the assault on Youth Congress (YC) and Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists, allegedly by DYFI workers. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan referred to the incident as “rescue efforts” in his Christmas message.
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