2 killed, 8 injured in stampede during festival in India’s Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI: APRIL. 16 – Two people were killed and eight others injured in a stampede Saturday during local festival celebrations in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, officials said.

The stampede happened during a congregation at Goripalayam in Madurai district, about 463 km southwest of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu.

“Two people — a man and a woman — were killed and eight others were injured in a stampede during the Chithirai festival today,” an official at Madurai collectorate said. “The stampede broke out when a section of crowd of devotees surged forward to witness the immersion of an idol into Vaigai river.”

According to officials, many people were admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital after they fell unconscious.

“The devotees complained of suffocation after they were caught in the midst of a huge crowd,” the official said.

The Chithirai festival is an annual Tamil Hindu celebration in Madurai during the month of April.

Locals said the celebrations were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was after a two-year break that a huge crowd was witnessed for the festival.

-Xinhua