102 Sabarimala pilgrims killed in stampede

Vandiperyar (Ker), Jan 15 (PTI) In the worst tragedy that struck Sabarimala pilgrims in a decade, at least 102 people returning from the shrine were killed and 50 others injured in a stampede that occurred at Pullumedu in Kerala''s Idukki district.

Over 70 bodies have been brought to the government hospital at nearby Kumali town as police and fire force worked overnight with local rescuers at the hilly terrain where the the mishap happened last evening.

According to top police sources, 102 people were confirmed dead and seven of the injured were stated to be in serious condition.

Most of the victims were from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The tragedy struck the pilgrims returning after darshan at the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa on the ''makara samkarma pooja'', when a jeep went out of control and ploughed into devotees in a narrow forest stretch at Pullumedu, triggering the stampede.

A high-level inquiry into the mishap will be ordered, government sources said.

Several ministers and senior officials are camping at the accident site and at Kumali town.

Sabarimala stampede toll reaches 104

Vandiperiyar/Kumily (Kerala), Jan 15 (IANS) The toll in the stampede near Kerala's famed Sabarimala temple climbed to 104 Saturday as more bodies and the injured continued to be brought to hospitals in the area.

The stampede occurred around 8.00 p.m. Friday when the pilgrims were returning after watching the celestial Makara Jyothi light, the most important event of the pilgrimage, from a hillock some 30 km from the Sabarimala temple.

The tragedy took place in Pulumedu, a forested area about 10 km from the Vandiperiyar town, and about 30 km from the Sabarimala temple in Pathanamthitta district. At least 60 people have sustained injuries.

Most of the bodies and the injured have been brought to the Kumily government hospital.

State Finance Minister Thomas Isaac reached the hospital in the morning and said that the state government will meet the expenses for treating the injured even if they have been admitted to private hospitals in Idukki and Kottayam districts.

'A thorough investigation will be done and the state government will meet all the expenses for transporting the bodies to their homes. As the first step, a sum of Rs.5,000 to the injured has been sanctioned,' said Isaac.

The bodies were first brought to the Vandiperiyar government hospital and from there it was moved to the hospital in Kumily.

'Around 43 bodies have been identified so far and a majority of the dead are from nearby states ofAndhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,' said senior Congress leader E.M. Augusthy.

Sabarimala stampede toll rises to 97

Vandiperiyar (Kerala), Jan 15 (IANS) The toll in a stampede of pilgrims in Kerala's Idukki district rose to 97 Saturday after more bodies were recovered. The stampede occurred when the pilgrims were returning after watching the celestial Makara Jyothi light, the most important event of the pilgrimage, from a hillock some 30 km from the Sabarimala temple.

The stampede occurred around 8.00 p.m. Friday in Pulumedu, a forested area about 10 km from the Vandiperiyar town, and about 30 km from the Sabarimala temple in Pathanamthitta district.

Idukki Congress MP P.T. Thomas confirmed that so far 71 bodies have reached the Vandiperiyar hospital, where all the bodies are being brought, and the remaining are being transported from the accident site. The injured are being treated in various hospitals.

'We are being told the gruesome accident took place around 8.00 p.m. at Pulumedu. The entire place was full of vehicles and more than a lakh of pilgrims were returning from a hillock after seeing the celestial light that appeared on the horizon soon after 7 p.m.

'Suddenly a jeep which broke down lost control and went into the waiting pilgrims and this created a panic causing a stampede,' said Thomas.

The pilgrims are mostly from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Over the past few years, following the huge influx of pilgrims from the Thekkady side, Pulumedu has become a point for these pilgrims to witness the celestial light.

State Ports Minister V. Surendran Pillai, who reached the Vandiperiyar hospital early Saturday, said that the number of victims, including those injured, are currently being ascertained.

'Today what will happen is that the bodies of those who lost their lives will have to be transported to their homes. The state government will decide on how this has to be done,' said Pillai.

Pamba, the base camp to the Sabarimala temple, has been overflowing with pilgrims since the past few days.

Leader of opposition Oommen Chandy, who cancelled his statewide yatra after the accident, also visited the Vandiperiyar hospital. He said that a detailed probe has to be launched to find out what led to this tragedy.

Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose who visited the hospital said that to reach the accident site is a laborious task because there is only a narrow road that leads to the site. 'Since it is pitch dark in the area, rescue operations is taking a lot of time,' said Punnoose.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony said this is one of the worst tragedies the country has seen. 'I have directed the defence (forces) to see that all the help be provided.' He said it is a national tragedy.

Sabarimala tragedy: 60 doctors conduct autopsies, kin identify dead

Kumily (Kerala) Jan 15 (IANS) As the death toll in the stampede near the Sabarimala temple mounted to 104 Saturday, doctors at a government hospital in this Kerala town busied themselves in one of the biggest post-mortem procedures in the state.

A team of 60 doctors began the grim task at the Kumily government hospital, some 15 km from the accident site in Idukki district.

Hospital authorities said 20 autopsies are being conducted at a time.

One Sri Lankan is among those killed, while 18 are from Tamil Nadu, 12 hail from Karnataka, six fromAndhra Pradesh and three belong to Kerala, hospital oficial said.

Idukki Congress MP P.T. Thomas said 71 bodies have so far reached the Vandiperiyar hospital, where all the bodies are being brought after which their autopsy is being conducted at Kumily.

As some of the doctors were busy conducting autopsies, pilgrims tried to identify their near and dear ones among the dead.

Several other doctors treated the scores of injured also being rushed to the hospital. At least 60 people are said to have sustained injuries in the tragedy.

The stampede near the famed Sabarimala temple occurred around 8.00 p.m. Friday when the pilgrims were returning after watching the celestial Makara Jyothi light, the most important event of the pilgrimage, from a hillock some 30 km from the Sabarimala temple.

The tragedy took place in Pulumedu, a forested area about 10 km from the Vandiperiyar town, and about 30 km from the Sabarimala temple in Pathanamthitta district.

The bodies were first brought to the Vandiperiyar government hospital and from there it was moved to the hospital in Kumily.

'Around 43 bodies have been identified so far and a majority of the dead are from nearby states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. So far three Malayalis are reported dead,' said senior Congress leader E.M. Augusthy.

State Finance Minister Thomas Issac reached the hospital and said that the state government will meet the expenses for treating the injured, including those being treated in private hospitals in Idukkiand Kottayam districts.

'We are told the gruesome accident took place around 8.00 p.m. at Pulumedu. The entire place was full of vehicles and more than a lakh of pilgrims were returning from a hillock after seeing the celestial light that appeared on the horizon soon after 7 p.m.,' Issac said.

'Suddenly a jeep that broke down lost control and rammed into the waiting pilgrims. This created panic, leading to the stampede,' said Thomas.

President, PM condole death of Sabarimala pilgrims, toll reaches 104

KERALA: At least 104 Sabarimala devotees were killed and over 40 injured in a stampede when a jeep crashed into homebound pilgrims at Pulmedu in Kerala's Idukki district, in the worst tragedy to strike the worshippers of the famed shrine in a decade.

Kerala home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the toll in the stampede that took place last night has climbed to 104.

"The pilgrims were coming to catch a bus when there was a stampede at Pulmedu. This resulted in the death of 104 people, while more than 40 were injured," Balakrishnan, who is in Kolkata for the CPI(M) politburo meeting, told reporters.

Out of the dead, only 54 have been identified so far and they belong to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka andAndhra Pradesh, he said.

"The inquest and post-mortem will be done today of the identified bodies," the minister said.

State DGP Jacob Punnoose said over 50 bodies have been identified so far. They are mostly from the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, he said. Eighteen of the dead hailed from Tamil Nadu, 12 from Karnataka and two each from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled the death of the pilgrims.

Singh sanctioned a relief of Rs one lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the stampede and Rs 50,000 to those injured from the Prime Minister's relief fund.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also expresses her deep anguish and shock over the tragedy in Sabarimala.

Most of the victims who perished were from Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. They were returning home through the forest route after the Makarajyoti darshan, considered a celestial phenomenon, at the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa.

The tragedy occurred at Pulmedu in Vandiperiyar when a jeep carrying pilgrims ploughed into a crowd and overturned, killing some on the spot and triggering the stampede, rescuers said.

Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan, who has called an emergency meeting inThiruvananthapuram to discuss rescue operations, said the Prime Minister has assured the state all help.

"The Kerala government has decided to compensate all those who lost their families. We have also set up a special team and the collector is monitoring rescue operations in Sabarimala. A probe will also be constituted to find out the cause of the incident," he said.

The state government has also declared a three-day mourning.

Kerala finance minister T M Thomas Issac said a crime branch probe would be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the tragedy.

Aneesh, one of the early rescuers to reach the spot, said the mishap was caused by the jeep which ran into the crowd and turned turtle.

While some people who got trapped under the jeep died, it also set off a wave of panic, triggering a stampede as thousands of pilgrims had converged at Pulmedu area, used mostly by devotees from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for returning home after darshan, he said.

I have never seen such a huge crowd at Pulmedu in my life. The flow of pilgrims returning was much more than anybody's expectations", Aneesh, who hails from the area, said.

The two-month long pilgrimage which began in mid-November was, by and large, incident-free till last night.

Over 30 million devotees had visited the shrine during the season.

Ten years ago, a stampede at Pampa on way to the hill shrine killed 50 people on the occasion of Makar Jyoti.

Defence minister A K Antony has offered the Kerala government all help from defence forces for rescue operations.

A special team of the National Disaster Response Force is at the spot. A helpline number - 04869222049 - has been set up to help the families of the victims.