Stampede at Sabarimala, 30 injured
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26, 2016, DHNS:
At least 30 people sustained injuries and complained of physical discomfort following a stampede near the Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala on Sunday.
Sources said the condition of two people was critical. The incident happened at about 7 pm near the Malikappuram temple, situated about 100 metres from the Ayyappa shrine.
The stampede happened after a rope barricade was breached, as a group of pilgrims rushed forward for a darshan of the deity decked up in Thanka Anki, the traditional golden attire the Ayyappa idol is decorated with ahead of the mandala puja. The sources said most of the injured pilgrims are natives of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The hill shrine witnessed a heavy rush of pilgrims on Sunday in connection with arrival of the procession carrying the Thanka Anki. The mandala puja is scheduled to be performed on Monday.
Six of the injured devotees, including one with a rib fracture and another complaining of breathlessness, were transferred to the government medical college hospital in Kottayam. The rest are admitted to hospitals at the Sannidhanam and Pampa.
Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the situation was under control and that senior police officers were camping at the shrine to monitor the situation. “The two seriously injured devotees have already been shifted. The condition of the others is stable,” the minister said.
“Some of the injured have also been moved to the nearby Sahas Cardiology Centre,” an official at the government hospital at the Sannidhanam told DH.
Members of the National Disaster Response Force were involved in rehabilitation efforts. In the wake of the incident, some restrictions were put in place, for a couple of hours, on the entry of pilgrims to the shrine.
Sources said the condition of two people was critical. The incident happened at about 7 pm near the Malikappuram temple, situated about 100 metres from the Ayyappa shrine.
The stampede happened after a rope barricade was breached, as a group of pilgrims rushed forward for a darshan of the deity decked up in Thanka Anki, the traditional golden attire the Ayyappa idol is decorated with ahead of the mandala puja. The sources said most of the injured pilgrims are natives of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The hill shrine witnessed a heavy rush of pilgrims on Sunday in connection with arrival of the procession carrying the Thanka Anki. The mandala puja is scheduled to be performed on Monday.
Six of the injured devotees, including one with a rib fracture and another complaining of breathlessness, were transferred to the government medical college hospital in Kottayam. The rest are admitted to hospitals at the Sannidhanam and Pampa.
Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the situation was under control and that senior police officers were camping at the shrine to monitor the situation. “The two seriously injured devotees have already been shifted. The condition of the others is stable,” the minister said.
“Some of the injured have also been moved to the nearby Sahas Cardiology Centre,” an official at the government hospital at the Sannidhanam told DH.
Members of the National Disaster Response Force were involved in rehabilitation efforts. In the wake of the incident, some restrictions were put in place, for a couple of hours, on the entry of pilgrims to the shrine.
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