About 40 bodies have been identified and the victims are mostly from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. People from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala including a few children are also among the dead. About 100 people had been injured and they are under treatment at health centres and hospitals at Vandiperiyar, Kumily, Kottayam and other places in Kerala and Theni in Tamil Nadu. Relief and rescue operations were continuing early in the morning.

The tragedy had occurred around 9 pm last night while the pilgrims were returning after witnessing the ‘Makarajyothi’ from the grassland area (Pulmedu) which is about 12 km from Sabarimala. The accident spot lies nearly 26 km off Vandiperiyar town on the Kottayam-Kumily road and the last few kilometres are connected by a dirt road inside the forest.

The remoteness hampered rescue operations and it took more than three hours to take the victims to the nearby hospitals as the vehicles carrying them were caught in the traffic jam on account of heavy traffic following the conclusion of the Makara vilakku celebrations.

An eye witness, Kumar from Dharmapuri told our staff reporter at Vandiperiyar that the stampede had started after a jeep apparently lost control and ran into the crowd past 8 pm. He and his team of 40 persons from Tamil Nadu could escape. There are also reports that the jeep had hit an autorikshaw.

Control rooms are functioning at Kumily and Vandiperiyar to coordinate relief activities and provide information on victims. The telephone numbers are 04869 222049, 252244 and 253456. Arrangements have been made at the Kumily hospitals for postmortem of the bodies. The government would make arrangements for transport of the bodies to the native place of victims, official sources aid.

PTI adds:

Over 70 bodies have been brought to the government hospital at nearby Kumali town as police and fire force worked overnight with local rescuers at the hilly terrain where the mishap happened last evening.

According to top police sources, 102 people were confirmed dead and seven of the injured were stated to be in serious condition.

The tragedy struck the pilgrims returning after darshan at the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa on the ‘makara samkarma pooja’, when a jeep went out of control and ploughed into devotees in a narrow forest stretch at Pullumedu, triggering the stampede.

A high-level inquiry into the mishap will be ordered, government sources said.