Thu Dec 26 08:12:22 UTC 2024: ## Two Ayyappa Devotees Die After Hubballi Temple Fire

**Hubballi, Karnataka, December 26, 2024** – Two Ayyappa devotees succumbed to their injuries on Wednesday, December 26th, following a fire mishap at a Hubballi temple on December 23rd. Nijalingappa Bepuri (58) and Sanjay Savadatti (18) were among nine devotees injured in the fire, attributed to an LPG leak. They were receiving treatment at the KMC-RI Hospital in Hubballi.

Karnataka Labour Minister and district in-charge Minister Santosh Lad, who cut short his trip to a Belagavi AICC event, visited the hospital to offer condolences to the victims’ families. He announced a ₹5 lakh compensation for each deceased, as declared by the Chief Minister. Minister Lad also reported that an 11-year-old devotee is showing improvement, and that expert doctors from Bengaluru are assisting in the treatment of the remaining seven injured devotees.

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