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MUMBAI:- A stampede that killed dozens at a south India political rally happened after a crowd of thousands waited hours in baking heat without sufficient safeguards, officials and witnesses said Sunday.
Some 27,000 people thronged a public road in Tamil Nadu state in hopes of seeing popular actor-turned-politician Vijay on Saturday, but panic broke out and 39 were killed, authorities said.
Witnesses cited hours of delays, insufficient police presence and people falling from a tree branch onto the audience as contributing to the tragedy.
Deadly crowd incidents happen repeatedly during mass gatherings in India, often blamed on lax safety measures.
Vijay, known by one name, was addressing the rally when the crowds surged suddenly, forcing him to halt his speech in Karur district.
Videos on social media showed him tossing water bottles to supporters shortly before the panic broke out.
“My heart is shattered at this tragedy,” the 51-year-old star said in a statement.
State Chief Minister M.K. Stalin told reporters on Sunday that 39 people had died, raising an earlier toll of 36.
Nine children were among the dead, he added, announcing a judicial enquiry into the disaster.
State police chief G. Venkataraman said crowds had been waiting for hours under hot sun without sufficient food and water after the public was informed that Vijay would arrive at the venue by noon.
“The crowds started coming in from 11 am. He came at 7:40 pm. The people lacked sufficient food and water under the hot sun,” he told reporters.
He added 10,000 people were expected but some 27,000 turned up.
Vijay launched his own party in 2024 and has drawn huge crowds at campaign events ahead of state elections due next year.
“I was pushed down by the crowd all of a sudden. There was absolutely no space to move,” B. Kanishka, a survivor, told the Hindu newspaper. “I subsequently fainted.”
Others said poor organization and an hours-long wait left people restless before the situation spiralled dangerously out of control.
Karthick, a survivor, told the publication that the situation could have been prevented “if people were not forced to wait for hours together.”
“Poor planning and execution of the program and lack of police personnel at the spot were also the reason,” he said.
The Indian Express newspaper said panic spread after supporters who had climbed onto a tree branch fell onto the crowd below.
In January, 30 people were killed in a crush at a major religious fair, and last year 121 died during a Hindu prayer meeting in Uttar Pradesh.
In July last year, 121 people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh state during a Hindu religious gathering.

GLOBE, Arizona: Four people died after heavy rain caused flooding in Arizona, including three in a rural 19th-century mining town where floodwaters on Friday forced people to seek safety on rooftops and washed out a propane distributorship, scattering about 1,000 tanks downtown.
About 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) of rain fell in Globe, a city of about 7,250 people about 88 miles (142 kilometers) east of Phoenix, over 24 hours and another storm moved in Saturday, temporarily halting the search for people possibly missing in the flood because of high-flowing creeks.
Streets flooded in the nearby mining town of Miami on Saturday, but no injuries were reported, Carl Melford, emergency manager in Gila County, said. Meanwhile, about 20 tourists stranded in parts of the Havasupai Reservation, including at scenic Havasu Falls, because of flooding were evacuated, Bureau of Indian Affairs dispatcher Shaileen Gonzales said.
The remote reservation reachable only by foot, mule or helicopter lies deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon. It’s popular worldwide for its scenic, towering blue-green waterfalls but is prone to flooding.
In Globe, the bodies of two people were earlier found in a vehicle and another person was found in the floodwaters in Globe, Melford said, They were not immediately identified by authorities.
Another person was found dead Saturday morning near a vehicle caught in floodwaters in suburban Phoenix the night before. The vehicle appeared to be empty after it was spotted partially submerged in about 8 feet (2.4 meters) of fast-moving water on Friday evening in a greenbelt park area, the Scottsdale Fire Department said. After the water dropped a bit overnight, crews found the body of a person pinned underneath a walkway bridge, the department said.
In the rural community of Globe, one of Arizona’s oldest mining towns, sheriffs’ officials were looking into reports of people who may be missing, Melford said, but could not specify a number.
“We now have a massive search and rescue underway,” he said.
Rain poured down and quickly flooded the downtown area Friday, Melford said. One of the first areas hit was a propane tank distributor, sending about 1,000 residential-size tanks throughout the community, he said.
“There’s propane tanks everywhere through downtown Globe,” he said, adding that hazmat workers have been sent to the scene. “Luckily none of them ignited or exploded.”
The area previously experienced flooding in 2021 after a wildfire, but it didn’t happen like this, Melford said. The city is near canyons that can funnel water from the mountains into the community very quickly.
“This was an extremely heavy amount of rain in an extremely short period of time,” he said.
Videos shared on social media show vehicles in Globe being swept away by rushing, muddy water, with some smashed up against poles and large propane tanks scattered around.
Authorities are asking residents to not go out searching in the floodwaters because search and rescue officials are accompanied by dogs who might pick up the scent of aspiring volunteers instead of possible flood victims. If people want to help, they should start by assisting friends and neighbors in need, Melford said.
Globe city council members declared an emergency, saying they have never seen anything like the flooding.
Scores of people have stepped up to volunteer, said Mayor Al Gameros, adding that many buildings in the community’s downtown have been damaged. Officials asked people to stay away from the area until they could ensure it is safe to go in there.
“Our primary, again, is search and rescue,” Gameros said Saturday.