Sabarimala witnesses heavy rush
The temple is witnessing heavy rush of devotees from Friday onwards and the pilgrims are forced to wait upto 18 hours in queue.
Kochi: A Tamil Nadu pilgrim collapsed after standing long hours in queue for 'darshan' at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Balu (42), a resident of Cheru Madurai in Vizhuppupuram district of Tamil Nadu. The temple is witnessing heavy rush of devotees from Friday onwards and the pilgrims are forced to wait up to 18 hours in queue.
"He started trekking from Pamba on Saturday evening and complained of uneasiness upon reaching the Ayurveda Hospital at Sannidhanam around 5 am. Soon he collapsed and police and security personnel rushed him to the Sannidhanam medical centre. However, he soon died," police said , adding the exact cause of death is being ascertained.
According to TDB officials, there was a sudden dip in pilgrims flow last week following the cyclone Ockhi with many inter-state pilgrims postponing their pilgrimage. "There was a false reports going on in social media that the temple was closed. Now devotees started visiting en-masse which resulted in the heavy rush. Besides, it was the week-end," an official said.