Caught on camera: When the gateway to a Durga Puja pandal collapsed under stormy winds
The structures are seldom sturdy enough to withstand very bad weather.
The worst fears of a community Durga Puja in West Bengal came true thanks to the weather.
In Tamluk, Midnapore district, the gateway leading to a Dura Puja pandal came crashing down under strong storm winds. As the video (above) shot on a mobile phone shows, the gateway, erected across a road with traffic passing along it, swayed for some time before collapsing. A vehicle had just passed through the gateway, prompting speculations on whether it had been crushed beneath the collapsing structuring.
A similar incident took place in Bokaro, Jharkhand, where a 50-feet-high Dura Puja pandal collapsed when it suddenly started to rain heavily. Fortunately, the organisers were able warn people that the structure might collapse, and all the shopkeepers and vendors moved to safety.