Sabarimala: In the worst-ever tragic incident, 106 Ayyappa devotees, who were returning after having ''Makara jyothi light'' darshan, culmination of the 41-day-long Makaravilakku festival at the famed hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala, were killed and over 50 injured in a stampede at Pullemedu last night.
According to police, 106 bodies of devotees, majority of them from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were recovered from the accident site and brought to the Kumily Government Hospital for post-mortem.
Though there were various versions about the stampede, the first report says that the tragedy occurred when a jeep carrying devotees lost control and ploughed through the crowd, triggering a stampede at around 2015 hours.
The panic stricken devotees, who were camped at Pullumede to witness the celestial Makara Jyothi light, started running for safer places when they found that the jeep was coming towards them.
There was confusion among devotees and many fell down, while others ran over them, resulting in many being killed on the spot.
This was the third and the largest tragedy during Makaravilakku festival. As many as 66 Ayyappa devotees were killed in January 14, 1952 following an explosion after the firework shed caught fire at Sabarimala and later on January 14, 1999, following a stampede at Pamba base camp 52 Ayyappa devotees had lost their lives.
According to police, 106 bodies of devotees, majority of them from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were recovered from the accident site and brought to the Kumily Government Hospital for post-mortem.
Though there were various versions about the stampede, the first report says that the tragedy occurred when a jeep carrying devotees lost control and ploughed through the crowd, triggering a stampede at around 2015 hours.
The panic stricken devotees, who were camped at Pullumede to witness the celestial Makara Jyothi light, started running for safer places when they found that the jeep was coming towards them.
There was confusion among devotees and many fell down, while others ran over them, resulting in many being killed on the spot.
This was the third and the largest tragedy during Makaravilakku festival. As many as 66 Ayyappa devotees were killed in January 14, 1952 following an explosion after the firework shed caught fire at Sabarimala and later on January 14, 1999, following a stampede at Pamba base camp 52 Ayyappa devotees had lost their lives.
