Dozens of pilgrims were injured during a stampede at Sabarimala in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district on Sunday. The exact number of casualties is unclear, and several are believed to be in critical condition. The incident took place while devotees were on their way to the famous Ayappa temple at the pilgrimage centre a day before the Mandalam festival, The Hindu reported.
The stampede took place around 6.40 pm after devotees who had been waiting for several hours to enter the temple surged forward after a barricade at the northern gate collapsed. Several pilgrims were moved to nearby hospitals with head and rib injuries.
Kerala’s Minister for Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran, told PTI he had visited the site just before the stampede, and that it had been very crowded as a holy procession was just about to arrive. He added that the situation is now under control.
In 2011, a stampede at Sabarimala had left 106 pilgrims dead and at least another 100 injured. Lakhs of Hindus from around the country make their way to the temple on yearly pilgrimages.
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