Four electrocuted during religious procession in India

NEW DELHI - At least four people were electrocuted Saturday and seven others injured after a Muslim religious procession came into contact with a high-voltage wire in India, police told AFP.

The Islamic calendar is currently in the month of Muharram, the holiest time for Shiites across the world, when large Ashura processions mark the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein in the seventh century.

Members of a procession in the eastern state of Jharkhand were killed when a metal pole carried by some devotees hit an overhead cable, Bokaro district police superintendent Priyadarshi Alok told AFP.

"Four people have died and seven others are injured," he said.

Deaths by electrocution are common in India as a result of waterlogging during the summer monsoon season.

Nearly 11,000 people on average die by electrocution in India every year, according to official data. - AFP