Kumaly (Kerala): In the worst pilgrim tragedy that struck south India,102 Lord Ayyappa devotees were killed and 50 injured, seven of them seriously, in the stampede that occurred a Pullumedu about seven km from the Sabarimala temple.
Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan annouced a judicial inquiry into the mishap and declared a solatium of Rs 5 lakh each for the family of these killed.
The deceased inluded one Sri Lankan woman while majority of them were from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as the grassland forest trekking path known as `Pullumedu’ in the Periyar tiger reserve, is trodden by devotees from these states.
The Sri Lankan pilgrim who died was identified as sha Kantha, a member of 18-member pilgrim team from the island nation.
The preliminary report by Idukki District administration stampede was caused by commotion created by minor mishap involving a jeep and an autorikshaw which which fell off to sides after grazing each other while plying the narrow trekking route.
This created a panic among the people trekking route flooded with pilgrims and smaller vehicles paving the way for the stampede.
People them started falling and getting tossed around being trampled upon as the spot was envoloped by darkness and mist with poor lighting on the way.
Police said they did not receive any complaints of any missing cases the toll unlikely to go up further.
All the bodies had been shifted to hospital at Kumali for post-mortem and they had begun to be transported to respective places.
Some of the seriously injured had been admitted to Kottayam medical college hospital.
The tragedy occurred when a jeep carrying pilgrims ran into a crowd and fell to the ground, killing some instantly and paving the way for the stampede, rescuers said.
The Forest Department sources, however, said the stampede was the result of the jeep hitting turning an autorickshaw.
So far, the identities of 77 victims had been established, of whom 29 were from Tamil Nadu, 25 from Karnataka, 17 from Andhra Pradesh and 5 from Kerala itself.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Achuthanandan and conveyed his deep sorrow at the gruesome tragedy.
Ernakulam district collector, M Beena, told PTI that 22 bodies of pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh would be airlifted to Hyderabad from Kochi tomorrow morning. The bodies are yet to reach kochi, she said. Rest of the bodies of other state pilgrims are being taken by road.
Heart rending scenes were witnessed when the body of Unnikrishnan, who was killed in the stampede was brought home at nearby Tripunithura. He is survived by wife and 6 year old daugther. Unnikrishnan was working in a company manufacturing ‘Aravana'(Prasadam).
Another keralite who was killed hails from Malappuram.
According to reports 5 keralites were killed in the tragedy, of which three are presently residing in the neighbouring states.
Cases of ‘lost and found’ amid tales of woes
Heart-rending scenes were witnessed today at the Kumali Government Hospital where bodies of Sabarimala stampede victims were rushed for post- mortem, as helpless cries of frantic relatives searching for their kin rent the air.
A steady stream of people from adjoining areas in Tamil Nadu had begun to pour into the border town of Kumali since this morning in search of their near and dear ones within hours of the tragedy last night. Most of the 102 victims were from the neighbouring states of Kerala, which is home to the revered Ayyappa shrine.
There were reports of some members belonging to a same batch of pilgrims dying in the stampede while others survived, only to return to their homes without their companions with whom they set out on the pilgrimage just a few days back.
Many found it difficult to hold back tears on looking at the cold, lifeless bodies of relatives or friends who had been with them on the sacred pilgrimage till a few hours back.
Others heaved a sigh of relief on knowing that their near and dear ones whom they were searching for in desperation had survived unscathed.
A mourning pilgrim from Karnataka said he was finding it tough to think of accompanying the body of a 23-year-old youth who had come with him.
“We did not think cruel fate is store for us till the moment it happened. We were rushing down through Pullumedu after having glimpses of ‘Makarajyoti'(divine light) when it all happened”, said 38-year-old Venkappa.
“Our group stood near a bridge and after seeing the ‘jyoti’, we stepped down. I felt like a rush initially…but did not think everthing was going beyond control,” he told PTI.
They later had a rude shock when they came to know Hanumanth Gowda Patel, a 23-year old member of their group, succumbed to injuries.
A group from Tamil Nadu meanwhile was in a state of excitement of getting back one of its members–a nine-year old boy, who went missing since the time of tragedy.
The group members identified the child (young devotees are called ‘Manikantas’, the childhood name of Lord Ayyappa) from among the injured at the hospital.
Post-mortem of around 93 bodies had been completed by afternoon and police and hospital authorities were taking all steps to send dead bodies to their home towns without delay.
A total of 37 dead bodies, including those from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, had already been sent to the respective destinations, hospital officials said.
Eighty-six doctors and 305 other health staff from various hospitals in Alappuzha, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kottayam districts are attending to stampede victims here.
Thirty one ambulances were deployed to bring the dead and injured ones from the spot and send them to their native places.
–PTI