Kerala: 30 people injured in stampede at Sabarimala temple

Mangalore Today News Network

Kerala, Dec 26, 2016 : Nearly thirty people today injured today at the Sabarimala temple after a temporary barricade put up to control the crowd broke, leading to a minor stampede. The injured have been shifted to various hospitals near the temple and those with serious injuries were immediately taken to Kottayam medical college hospital.

 

"Today there was Mandala pooja. We don’t let people enter during afternoon time. We allowed them to enter only after 7pm. Those who were injured were people who tried to enter through the Malikapuram temple side. That is a place where the crowd isn’t that heavy usually," Murali, an official with the Travancore Devaswom Board told India Today.

EQUIPMENT FAILURE?

Ropes were tied on to poles to control the crowd. One of the poles, which was old, broke and the crowd fell to the front.

"We regulate the crowd with barricades and release them as segments. The crowd was the usual crowd we see at this time every year. It was not unexpected but one of the barricade was either old or there was some erosion at the bottom which is why it broke,"said Pathanamthitta SP Harishankar.

Most of them who have been injured have minor bruises while four of them are in injury category - one with a head injury, another with hip injury and two others with a rib fracture.

Courtesy: Yahoo News