At least five Kanwar Yatra pilgrims, including a child, were electrocuted to death in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening, The Indian Express reported, citing the police.

During the Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage, devotees of the Hindu deity Shiva collect water from the Ganga river in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar and offer it at temples in their states. These devotees, called Kanwariyas, cover hundreds of kilometres on foot.

The tragedy on Saturday took place near Rauli Chauhan village of Meerut when the pilgrims were returning home. A music system mounted on their vehicle came in contact with a high-tension power line, said Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh.

The child who died was eight years-old while the rest of the victims were in their 20s, the police said, according to The Indian Express.

District Magistrate Deepak Meena told reporters that 10 pilgrims were hit by the electrocution. Five of them died, two are under observation at a hospital and three have recovered.

After the incident, the villagers blocked roads to protest against the power department for allegedly neglecting the wire that was hanging low, reported NDTV.

In another development, six Kanwariyas were injured on Saturday in two separate accidents in Delhi, according to PTI.

A 38-year-old had to be hospitalised with a head injury after a taxi hit him on the Vasant Vihar flyover in the early hours of Saturday.

In the second incident, five persons suffered injuries after a speaker installed on their vehicle hit a height barrier. The vehicle did not take the route designated for the pilgrims and instead entered the Wazirabad Road-Gokulpuri Chowk-Durgapuri Chowk stretch, the police told PTI.

The annual pilgrimage starts on the first day of the Hindu month of Shravan. Security measures are often stepped up as several incidents of violence have been reported during this time.