A stampery that killed dozens in a political demonstration in southern India occurred after a multitude of thousands waited hours in the heat of baking without enough safeguards, officials and witnesses said on Sunday.
Some 27,000 people crowded a public road in the state of Tamil Nadu in the hope of seeing the popular actor turned into a Vijay politician on Saturday, but panic broke out and 39 were killed, authorities said.
The witnesses cited hours of delays, insufficient police presence and people who fall from a branch of trees to the audience that contribute to the tragedy.
Mortal incidents of the crowd occur repeatedly during mass meetings in India, often attributed to the lax security measures.
Vijay, known by a name, was heading to the demonstration when the crowds suddenly emerged, forcing him to stop his speech in the Karur district.
The videos on social networks showed him by throwing water bottles to the followers shortly before panic exploded.
“My heart is destroyed by this tragedy,” said the 51 -year -old star in a statement.
The state prime minister, MK Stalin, told journalists on Sunday that 39 people had died, which increased an earlier toll of 36.
Nine children were among the dead, he added, announcing a judicial investigation into the disaster.
The head of the State Police, G. Venkataraman, said that the crowds had been waiting for hours under the hot sun without sufficient food and water after the public was informed that Vijay would arrive at noon at noon.
“The crowds began to arrive from 11 am
He added that 10,000 people were expected, but about 27,000 appeared.
Vijay launched its own game in 2024 and has attracted large crowds in campaign events before the state elections that are due next year.
“The crowd pushed me down suddenly. There was absolutely no space to move,” said B. Kanishka, a survivor, Hindu newspaper. “Later I passed out.”
Others said that the poor organization and a one -hour wait left the restless people before the situation was dangerously out of control.
Karthick, a survivor, told the publication that the situation could have been avoided “if people were not forced to wait hours together.”
“The bad planning and execution of the program and the lack of police personnel in the place were also the reasons,” he said.
He Indian newspaper Express This panic extended after the followers who had risen to a tree branch fell on the crowd below.
In January, 30 people were killed in a crush at an important religious fair, and last year 121 he died during a Hindu prayer meeting in Uttar Pradesh.
In July last year, 121 people were killed in the north of the state of Uttar Pradesh during a Hindu religious meeting.
