Stampede at Tamil Nadu rally kills 36, injures 40, officials say

A stampede at a political rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur district killed at least 36 people and injured 40 others on Saturday, according to the state health minister. Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the victims were dead by the time they reached hospitals, and the injured were in stable condition. Eight of the dead were children.

The rally was being addressed by Vijay, a popular actor-turned-politician in Tamil Nadu, and drew a large crowd in the Karur district. Emergency workers and police responded quickly to the scene, but the scale of the disaster overwhelmed initial response efforts, officials said. Investigators are examining what sparked the stampede, including whether a surge toward a stage, a bottleneck in crowd flow, or a sudden panic contributed to the crush.

Officials urged calm and cautioned that the situation remained fluid as rescuers continued to clear debris and reach people who remained trapped or injured. The state health department and police said survivors were being treated at multiple hospitals in the area, with many of the injured reported to be in stable condition.

Stampedes at large gatherings are a recognized risk in India, where crowds at political rallies, religious festivals, and other events can swell rapidly. The Tamil Nadu incident echoes broader safety concerns at mass events across the country, where organizers and authorities routinely review crowd-control measures after tragedies.

Health officials noted the number of deaths could rise if some missing or unaccounted-for people were later found among the casualties. The government pledged to provide financial assistance to families affected by the disaster and to conduct a thorough review of crowd-management protocols at rallies.

Earlier this year, India also faced tragedy at a major religious gathering when, in January, at least 30 people were killed as tens of thousands rushed to bathe during the Maha Kumbh festival. That incident underscored the ongoing challenges authorities confront in managing very large crowds at any public event.

As investigations proceed, authorities said the focus would be on identifying risk points at the rally venue, securing the area, and determining whether additional safety measures could have prevented the stampede. No arrests or charges had been announced related to the incident as of late Saturday, but officials said preliminary findings would be shared in the coming days as part of the ongoing inquiry.