NEW DELHI: Two persons died and many others sustained injuries in a stampede during the Madurai Chithirai festival held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
The incident took place on Saturday 16 March i.e. on the 12th day of the 15-day-long annual festival that started on 5 April this year.
Lakhs of devotees gathered at the famous Meenakshi Sundareshwarar shire and crowded the banks of Vaigai River from 04:00 am on Saturday to witness the grand entry of Lord Kallazhagar.
One man and one woman were killed in the stampede and one person sustained severe injuries when massive crowding gathered to get a closer view of the Lord appearing in the river after 05:30 am.
Moreover, as many as 7 persons sustained mild injuries and were later taken to the Government Rajaji Hospital located in the temple city.
The deceased man has been identified as Selvam hailing from the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. The identity of the deceased woman of 65 years old is yet to be ascertained.
Numerous devotees who tried to follow the deity in the procession of Lord Kallazhaghar complained about dizziness and also fainted after they got trapped in the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin expressed grief over the death of devotees and paid deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.
The chief minister further announced a compensation of Rupees 5 lakh to the families of the two people who lost their lives amid the festivities in Madurai.
In addition, Stalin also announced Rupees 2 Lakh to the one severely injured while Rupees one lakh each will be given to the 7 people who sustained mild injuries.
The solatium will be provided to the affected people and their families from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund as per an official release.
The CM also added that the government will take care of the financial requirement for the medical treatment of the injured persons following the incident.
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