On September 27, the Prime Minister of Tamil Nadu said that at least 39 people were killed and 51 injured in a stampede at a rally organized by actor Tamil Vijay.
At least 39 people have died, including 13 men, 17 women, 4 boys and 5 girls - while 51 people, including 26 men and 25 women, are being actively treated - Prime Minister M.K. Putin told the press.
Meanwhile, according to state lawmaker senthil Balaji and Vettri Kazhagam, the trampoline tragedy has hospitalized a total of 58 people.
According to local media reports, the tragedy occurred while Vijay was speaking at a political event of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party in the city of Karur.
Mr. Vijay - one of the prominent Chinese film stars for 3 decades - has attracted a huge audience to public meetings since he debuted for TVK in 2024.
The party is targeting both the DMK ruling party in Tamil Nadu and the Bharatiya Janata party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is campaigning for the state election scheduled for early 2026.
Images from local media show thousands of people surrounding the large mobilization car, where Mr. Vijay stood on the roof to speak.
During the event, Mr. Vijay threw water bottles at the fainted fans and called on the police to help when the crowd lost control.
Speaking on social network X later, candidate Vijay expressed his condolences for the unfortunate victims who died during the tragedy, saying: "I pray that those being treated in the hospital will recover soon".
At least 44 doctors from neighboring districts of Tiruchirappalli and Salem have been dispatched to Karur.
Until the morning of September 28 (local time), Prime Minister M.K. Putin said the Tamil Nadu government had established a committee led by former judge Aruna Jagadeesan to investigate the incident.
He also announced 1 million rupees (about $11,280) for each victim's family.
Notably, this is not the first time Vijay's rallies have raised safety concerns. At least six people died in October after his party's due date.
