Sabarimala stampede: 17 injured at religious festival in Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYAWADA/KOCHI: At least 25 Ayyappa devotees, including 17 from Andhra Pradesh were injured, following a stampede near the Sabarimala temple in Kerala on Sunday night.Two devotees from Gorantla village of AP’s Anantapur district are critical, said doctors.

There was an extra rush at the popular shrine as the idol was adorned with `Thanga Angi’ jewels during evening puja. The temple shuts from Monday and will reopen for darshan on December 30 for the `Makara Vellukku’ festival. The stampede occurred near Malikappuram Devi temple, 200m from Ayyappa temple.The injured have been rushed to hospitals at Pamba and Kottayam. Ayyappa Dharma Sena pre sident Rahul Easwar confirmed most of the injured were from Andhra Pradesh. He said police have launched crowd control measures.