A judicial enquiry has been ordered in to the death of 102 Sabarimala pilgrims in Kerala in a stampede. 80 other devotees have been injured in the stampede at Uppupara on the Pullumedu-Vallakadavu forest route in Idukki district, while they were returning after holy darshan at the shrine of Lord Ayyappa on Makar Sankranti day on Friday night. The stampede was reportedly caused when a jeep ran off the road hitting an auto-rickshaw triggering panic among the pilgrims. Meanwhile, bodies of the victims are being despatched to their native places. Arrangements have been made to airlift 22 bodies from the Cochin international airport to Hyderabad. Of these, 12 bodies have aleady reached the airport. Of the 102 persons killed in the mishap 32 are from Karnataka, 34 from Tamil Nadu, 22 from Andhra Pradesh, 3 from Kerala, 2 from Puducherry and one from Sri Lanka. Eight unidentified bodies are kept at the Ernakulam General Hospital.
News On AIR | January 16, 2011 8:31 AM
Judicial enquiry ordered into Sabarimala stampede, 73 bodies identified