A 55-year-old woman was crushed to death, and two others were injured, on Thursday, when the roof of a hall in the Tiruchendur Murugan Temple collapse. The incident, which took place at 10.30 in the morning, took place in the Giri Prahara Mandapam.

Devotees usually gather in this hall to eat.

Pechiammal, the deceased, used to sell buttermilk in the temple complex. The two men who were injured, Kandasamy, a devotee from Tiruppur, and Senthil Anandan, from Tiruchendur, have been admitted to Tiruchengode Government Hospital.

Authorities said the temple will remain closed for the next week as personnel from the district administration and police are in the process of clearing the debris.

Last month, the temple staff reportedly informed the Public Works Department (PWD) that the hall required renovation, but they did not get any response from the authority. Moreover, the temple has not been renovated even once since it was opened.

It has averaged a footfall of 5,000 every single day. Many devotees stop to pay their respects at this temple after visiting Sabarimala in Kerala.

Sevur S Ramachandran, who is associated with the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, told Thanthi TV that the temple was built about 45 years ago and that the fire services and police personnel have been pressed into action to clear up the debris.

Thoothukudi collector, N Venkatesh, said that a committee will be formed to inquire into this incident – the committee will include the police department and the PWD. He added that all the buildings which have been built 40 to 45 years ago will be inspected.

In October, 8 people died and three people were injured after the ceiling of a bus depot in Porayar, in Nagapattinam, came crashing down. Of the eight dead, seven worked as drivers and the other deceased was a bus conductor.