A crowd stampede killed dozens and injured more than 40 others during a political rally on Saturday in southern India, when thousands of people rushed toward the stage where a popular actor and politician was speaking, officials said.
At least 36 people were killed, including eight children, and 45 were admitted to hospitals in Karur, the city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu where the stampede took place, the state’s chief minister, M.K. Stalin, said on social media. The state’s health minister, Ma Subramanian, told local news outlets that the death toll was likely to rise.
The actor and politician Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, known professionally as Vijay, had been speaking on a makeshift stage, erected on top of a bus, when the stampede began.
Mr. Chandrasekhar, 51, is one of Tamil Nadu’s most successful actors, starring in many of the film industry’s biggest commercial hits. In 2024, he quit his acting career to enter politics, starting his own political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
Videos of the rally posted on social media showed the actor pausing his speech when he saw ambulances struggling to make their way through the crowd, and asking fans to make way for them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, writing on X that the incident was “deeply saddening.” Mr. Stalin issued a statement on the site urging the public to cooperate with doctors and the police.
Mr. Chandrasekhar also posted a statement online, saying: “My heart is shattered. The sorrow I am feeling is indescribable.”
He offered his condolences to the victims’ families and added that he hoped for the quick recovery of the injured.
Anupreeta Das contributed reporting.
Pragati K.B. is a reporter for The Times based in New Delhi, covering news from across India.
The post Stampede at Actor’s Political Rally Kills at Least 36 People in India appeared first on New York Times.
