Tracks were scattered, water bottles were stumbled flat, coloured pieces of paper were sprinkled with cannons, scratched flags and clothes were mixed with broken wooden bars, and large amounts of garbage were scattered all over the place ... Early in the morning of September 28 local time, when pedestrians and residents who went out to buy milk passed through this empty place, the turmoil before their eyes was in sharp contrast to the noise of the night before.

On the evening of September 27th, a large-scale stampede occurred at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, southern India, killing at least 40 people and injuring nearly 100 others. According to reports, the age of most adult deceased is between 18 and 30 years old. A health official involved in the treatment said that the death toll may rise.

A local resident told the media: ¡°I¡¯m over 70 years old and have never seen such a serious stumbling accident in political party activities.¡±

Indian Prime Minister Modi also posted on social media, calling the incident "deeply sad."

Local time September 27, India, Tamil Nadu, actors from Virginia in campaign Chart/Visual China

7 hours of delayed assembly.

On September 27, India¡¯s star politician, the founder of the Tamil Victory League (TVK) party, Vijai announced a massive political rally in Karul.

Virjay, 51, is one of the most appealing actors in the Tamil language film industry for 30 years and has appeared in a number of commercial big films. In 2024, after his appearance in the action thriller Unprecedented, he announced his shutdown and took part in politics, forming the "Tamil Victory League". Currently, he is leading the political party to actively prepare for the Tamil Nadu state parliamentary elections in early 2026. With a strong star effect, almost every public event he has attracted a large audience.

After the social media accounts announced the arrival of the Virgil plan for noon on the 27th, the crowd continued to gather from 9 a.m. on the same day. Due to the lack of enough food and drinking water, the order of the scene was gradually disrupted. At high temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, the crowd of people waiting became increasingly anxious. Virgil's delay further worsened the situation. Many people suffered in the hot sun, and so on, did not dare to leave their seats and even give up for lunch.

The organizers had initially expected about 10,000 people to participate, but police estimated that at least 2,70,000 people were on the scene, far more than expected, and public roads and venues were completely crowded. This rally, originally as a political celebration, was almost destined to go out of control.

Until 7:40 p.m., Virgil arrived, more than seven hours late than the time forecasted.At this time, a large crowd had suffered for hours, and people had already fainted because of physical power.

Vijay's motorcade drove into the venue, and the crowd surged again. Supporters who followed the motorcade joined in, making the crowd even more dense. To make way for the bus, someone was pushed and fell, pressing against the shed of the generator and TV truck, triggering a stampede.

For a glimpse of Virginia, the audience climbed the branches of the trees and reluctantly fell into the crowd, further aggravating the chaos, which was one of the causes of the tragic casualties.¡± said a senior police officer who rushed to the scene.

The video shows people in panic shouting for help while climbing up and looking for space to breathe. The children are laid on their parents¡¯ shoulders and staring at the bus on the way away. As the crowd gets more and more dense, some people begin to suffocate. Virjay initially tried to throw water bottles into the crowd but failed to realize the seriousness of the situation.

The survivors described the panic at the time as ¡°horrible¡± and I was suddenly pushed down by the crowd, and there was no space for activity at all, and then fainted.¡± ¨C Karnischka told The Hindu. ¨C Cartik from Herrod County believes that poor planning, coupled with a serious lack of police force, were all the causes of the tragedy.

Another survivor, Soria, said the crowded scene on the scene left people with little room to stand, and caused ambulances not to enter, delaying the rescue.

¡°We cried out and couldn¡¯t move, people were overwhelmed with each other and couldn¡¯t breathe at all,¡± West Wassankari, from Namakhar County, recalled to the Indian Times.

Following the accident, Virgil quickly left Karul and returned to Kinney on a private plane from Tritch Airport without being interviewed by the media. According to sources, he was informed of his deaths on his way back. Virgil then posted on social media: ¡°My heart is broken and I am immersed in unbearable and indescribable pain. Send my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and pray for the wounded to recover soon.¡±

foot on the accident scene.

Star politicians put on file for investigation

¡°There has never been a political rally in the history of our state that has resulted in such massive deaths.¡± after the tragedy, the Prime Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, responded for the first time, saying: ¡°I stand here with a heavy mood, and the tragedy of Karul is heartbreaking.¡±

At Karur Government Hospital, medical staff treated the wounded all night, and ambulances shuttled back and forth.

Local time September 28, India, Tamil Nadu, after the incident, relatives in the hospital to help the wounded are being treated.

According to official data, at least 150 people have been hospitalized for treatment. As of September 28th, 40 people have been killed and a hundred injured. Among the victims are 17 women and 9 children.

After the tragedy, Viji returned to Kinshasa and pledged to pay 2 million rubles ($16.1 million) to the families of the victims and 200,000 rubles per person to rescue a hundred injured.

Despite the insistence of the ¡°Tamil Victory League¡± that the rally strictly complied with police regulations, the government of the State of Tamil Nadu, led by the ¡°Democratic Progressive Alliance¡± (DMK), severely condemned Virgil and his team at the rally to violate the regulations of the ¡°Democratic Progressive Alliance,¡± a spokesman for the organization, Saravanan, criticized the failure to properly arrange drinking water and food, causing some in the crowd to faint, ¡°from the first day, they were reluctant to obey the conditions put forward by the police and deliberately violated these conditions.¡±

In recent years, mass gatherings in India have triggered tragedies.In January this year, tens of thousands of people flooded into the Hangzhou River during the Big Bang Festival, killing at least 30 people; in July last year, a religious rally in the northern state stumbled upon, killing 121 people; and in June this year, 11 fans were unfortunately killed in a bowling championship celebration in Bengaluru.

For Vijay, this is not the first time that he has encountered security questions. Last October, at least six people were killed at the first rally after the establishment of the Tamil Victory Alliance. Despite police requests to reduce the fleet and adjust the venue, the size of the participating crowd has repeatedly exceeded the capacity of local infrastructure.

According to sources, after the stampede tragedy in Karur, the security of Vijay's residence has been strengthened for fear that "public dissatisfaction may turn to him". Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has ordered an investigation. A number of senior cadres of Tamil Victory Alliance, including founder Vijay, secretary general Anand and head of Karur District Mattiazagan, have been investigated by the police for manslaughter and endangering public safety.

Reported by: Zheng Li

Edited by:Ðì·½Çå