This is the terrifying moment a balcony crumbles at a Hindu festival, sending several spectators plummeting to the street below.
Footage shows how the balcony of a dilapidated building in Ahmedabad, India, collapsed during the Rath Yatra festival on 20th June.
The annual festival, which began in 1878, celebrates the Hindu deities Jagannath, Balrama, and Subhdra.
The clip shows how the balcony crumbled just as the religious procession passed along the street below.
As several spectators tumbled to the ground, terrified onlookers could be seen running for cover.
The footage shows how more than 20 people were congregated on the creaking building’s balconies at the time.
Local media reported that a man died and eight others were injured in the collapse.
The deceased has been identified as Mehul Panchal, while the injured, among them three children, were taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment.
Some of the injured had been standing on the second-floor balcony below the one that collapsed.
Others had been on the street below, according to inspector J.S. Chaudhary of Dariapur Police Station.
Some sources put the number of injured in excess of 11.
This year’s festival in Ahmedabad saw the procession take an 18-kilometre (11-mile) route through the historic city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The authorities said more than 26,000 security and paramilitary officers were deployed to prevent violence as the procession passed through Muslim areas.
Large Rath Yatra festivals also take place in Puri and Kolkata on the same day.
