Stampede at Sabarimala Shrine Kills over a Hundred Pilgrims

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Over 40 pilgrims are feared dead and several others injured in a stampede that followed twin accidents en-route Sabarimala shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in the south Indian state of Kerala according to Asianet News, one of the largest television channels in Kerala and Manorama News which owns the largest newspaper in Kerala.

UPDATE:  Eight hours after the incident was first reported, the death toll has crossed the 100 mark.  A clarification says that a jeep returning with devotees who had witnessed the Makara Jyoti via a short cut through thick forests ran which form part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve into pilgrims camping there triggering the worst ever the stampede which resulted in the death of over 100 pilgrims. This is not a regular route to the Sabarimala shrine and, therefore, the government seems to have been negligent in making arrangement to regulate the flow of pilgrims on this route.

Eighty dead bodies have been recovered so far.  Thirty eight of these have been identified.  Only two of these belong to the pilgrims from Kerala. The others were from neighbouring states.  Of these, 18 bodies belonged to devotees from Tamil Nadu; 12 from Karnataka; and, six from Andhra Pradesh.

Sabarimala is one of the holiest shrines in Kerala perched atop a hill at an altitude of about 3000 ft.  Hundreds of thousands of people throng the hill shrine for a view of Makara Darshan (divine light) which is part of the main event Makara Samakrama Puja on the most auspicious day Makkar Sakranti which marks the culmination of the two-month long festival that is celebrated at the Ayyappa temple every year.

In one accident, a bus carrying devotees returning after the Darshan of Markara Jyoti overturned in the forest tracts some 30 kilometers away from Sabarimala temple resulting in death of over 40 people and injuring several others.  This is not a regular route to the shrine.

The other incident involved a jeep in Vandi Periyar in Idukki district carrying devotees which ploughed through pilgrims returning after the Makkar Darshan killing one and injuring many more which resulted in a stampede.  About 200,000 pilgrims are believed to have visited the Sabarimala temple since this morning according to official sources. Over 30 million people are reported to have visited the shrine in the pilgrim season during the last two months.

The Home Minister of Kerala, Bala Krishnan, told Times Now television channel over the phone that more than 40 people are reported dead in a stampede.  According to him, the dead bodies are being removed and the injured are being rushed to nearby hospitals. The District Collector, Director General of Police, the Finance Ministerof Kerala and the Home Secretary of Kerala among those who are rushing to the site of the accident.  Rescue operations are being carried out by fire service and police personnel and the local people.

On January 5, 2011 there was a minor stampede. 

There was a similar stampede in 1999 after the Makar Jyoti ceremony which resulted in resulted in the death of 63 people.  The Kerala High Court pulled up the Kerala Government for its negligence.

Considering the magnitude of the stampede, this has been declared a national emergency. The rescue operations are now being overseen by the Federal Government of India instead of the state government of Kerala and the National Disaster Task Force is now being pressed into service.