Hubballi (Karnataka), Dec 23: Nine devotees of Lord Ayyappa sustained serious burn injuries due to a LPG cylinder blast at a Shiva temple here, police said on Monday.

According to police, the incident occurred on Sunday night in Sainagar in the city. The devotees were sleeping in the temple room when the tragedy took place.

All nine injured were immediately admitted to KIMS Hospital. Their condition is said to be critical, police sources said.

Police suspect that the devotees did not turn off the cylinder knob properly after cooking food, resulting in the blast.

The devotees were planning a trip to Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala.

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Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.

Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.

Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.

The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.

The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.

"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.

"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.

A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.

The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.