NEW DEHLI: At least 100 people have been killed while more than 100 were injured in a stampede as crowd at a Hindu religious festival panicked after a road accident near Kirala, a southern state of India, officials said.
The tragedy occurred near Pathanamthitta village of Kirala on late Friday night when a jam-packed vehicle of pilgrims was on their way back after witnessing the Makara Jyoti ceremony. The vehicle’s driver lost control over steering and rammed it on a shrine full of worshipers, said a police official.
Pathanamthitta SP Sanjay Kumar said the death toll has reached to 100 and fear the casualties could be increased.
Rahul Easwar, a member of the Sabarimala priest’s family attributed it to a collision between two buses carrying the pilgrims. “The vehicles fell on the pilgrims, triggering panic and a stampeded,” he said.
Home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, said he would confirm what exactly happened only after hearing from his officers. “I’ve asked the DGP to rush to the scene. The home secretary is already in Pampa and I have asked the SPs and district collectors of Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts to help with rescue efforts,” he said.
The seriously injured were shifted to the Kottayam Medical College. Police said they had made arrangements for vehicles to use the route but the sheer number of the pilgrims this year made crowd-control difficult.
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