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Port Louis, Mauritius:

Six pilgrims died in Mauritius on Sunday when a fire broke out during a religious ritual to mark a Hindu festival, police said.

The blaze erupted when a wooden and bamboo cart displaying figurines of Hindu deities caught fire after coming into contact with exposed electric wires, police commissioner Anil Kumar Dip said on national television.

“The accident claimed six victims and left seven injured, including one who is in serious condition,” he said.

The pilgrims were travelling on foot to the Grand Bassin lake, which is deemed sacred by the east African island nation’s Hindu community, ahead of the Shivaratri festival on March 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)