2011 Sabarimala crowd crush
| Date | 14 January 2011 |
|---|---|
| Location | Pullumedu, Sabarimala, Kerala, India |
| Coordinates | 9°27′48″N 77°05′37″E / 9.463307°N 77.093717°E |
| Deaths | 106 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 456 |
The 2011 Sabarimala stampede was a
crowd crush
(often incorrectly described as a '
human stampede') on 14 January 2011, Hindu
shrine on the last day of a yearly festival which attracts millions of devotees. It began after a Jeep toppled over.
Background
Makara Sankranti on 14 January every year. It is believed that the deity Ayyappan
asserts himself as Makara Jyothi to bless his devotees.
The crowd crush is the worst recorded accident to have occurred in Sabarimala. In the past on 14 January 1952, 66 Ayyappa pilgrims were burnt to death when two fireworks sheds caught fire, while on the same day in 1999, 52 pilgrims were killed following a crowd crush during their return after witnessing the Makara Jyothi at Pamba.[2]
The two-month-long pilgrimage, which had started in November 2010, had been mostly incident-free before this crowd crush.[3]
The incident
The incident happened around 8 p.m. local time. Most of the dead were from the states of
crowd crush was reportedly caused by an SUV
which blocked the path, near Pullumedu, possibly after breaking down. When moved it may have overturned and caused people to stumble, triggering the stampede or by too many people running down the hill towards the road where there was already a pack of vehicles. There is a version of an accident between an autorickshaw and a Jeep. The real trigger of the incident remains a mystery given the fact that the spot where the stampede occurred is an open field.
Relief efforts
Kerala Chief Minister
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was sent to the scene.[3] Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced ₹1,00,000 to the family of each victim from Tamil Nadu.[5]
See also
- 1999 Sabarimala stampede
- Nalpathiyonnu (41) movie released on 2019 Directed by Lal Jose; the climax of the movie depicts this tragedy.
References
- ^ "Pullumedu stampede toll climbs to 106". Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ "Another Black Friday for Sabarimla pilgrims". The Indian Express. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ a b c "Breaking News: 104 killed in Sabarimala stampede, 50 injured". The Times of India. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Kerala govt orders judicial probe into stampede". The Indian Express. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- Dina Mani. 17 January 2011. Archived from the originalon 6 October 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.