Vandiperiyar, Sunday 16 January 2010: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will today visit the site of the stampede where 102 Sabarimala pilgrims died, party leaders said.

According to state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala, Gandhi, who is currently in the state on a private visit to attend the marriage of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s additional private secretary R.Gopalakrishnan’s daughter at Alappuzha Saturday, will reach the stampede site Sunday morning.

The stampede occurred Friday night at Pulumedu near Vandiperiyar town where about a lakh of pilgrims had gathered to watch the revered Makara Jyothi light on the Sabarimala hills.

Rahul will be accompanied by Chennithala and state Youth Congress president P.C.Vishnunadh.

Earlier report

Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said that the State government would conduct a judicial probe into the stampede at Pulmedu that claimed the lives of 102 Sabarimala pilgrims and more than 70 injured at Vandiperiyar on Friday night. Speaking to the reporters after reaching Kumali, VS added that government would also seek the service of the High Court sitting judge for investigating into the tragedy.

The Travancore Devaswom Board and the State government would provide a solatium of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those who sustained small injuries.

Arrangements would be made to keep the unidentified bodies till the relatives turn up. The Travancore Devaswom Board too has announced to look after the treatment expenses of those injured and the expenses for cremation. A relief of one lakh rupees has been announced to the kith and kin of those dead from the Prime Miniter’s relief fund. The injured would be given 50,000 rupees each.

In the worst tragedy that struck Sabarimala pilgrims in a decade,102 people returning from the shrine were killed and 70 others injured in a stampede that occurred at Pullumedu in Kerala’s Idukki district. Five pilgirms including children are reported missing.

All the 102 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 the mishap happened last evening. 92 of the dead has been identified so far. This includes three Malayalees, 28 from Tamil Nadu, 25 Karnataka and 17 from Andhra Pradesh.

The dead Malayalees has been identified as Padmanabhan from Palakkad, Satheeshan from Kunnamkulam, Korukutty of Malappuram, Unnikrishnan from Trippunithara and Krishnaprasanthan settled in Chennai.

Rescue operations are in full swing with the help of police and fire force. Political leaders including ministers and opposition leaders has reached the spot. Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan would be leaving to the accident spot today morning in Navy helicopter.

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

Most of the victims were from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

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.