Chennai: Twenty people including children are feared dead in a stampede during actor-politician Vijay's rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur today, officials at a local hospital said.
The number is likely as 500 people are already admitted and at least 400 more are being brought in, senior police officer Davidson Devasirvatham said.
The adults were supporters of Vijay's political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). They had been waiting for him for at least six hours. However, he arrived late at the rally venue.
State Health Minister M Subramaniyan has rushed to Karur. Chief Minister MK Stalin has ordered Karur district secretary V Senthilbalaji to monitor the situation in the meantime.
"The news coming from Karur is worrying. I have asked for immediate medical treatment to the public who were admitted to hospital after they fainted due to the stampede," Mr Stalin said in a post on X in Tamil.
Vijay abruptly ended his speech at the overcrowded rally in Karur as several people began to faint, news agency PTI reported. They were taken away to hospital in ambulances.
Before the tragedy unfolded, the crowd swelled and became uncontrollable while the TVK chief continued his address. Several workers saw the situation and raised an alarm, after which Vijay halted his speech and threw water bottles from a custom-built campaign bus in which he was travelling.
Ambulances had a tough time negotiating the heavily crowded thoroughfare to reach the spot, PTI reported.
There were at least 30,000 people at the venue, according to reports. The ruling DMK has called for Vijay's arrest for negligence.
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