11 injured in Tamil Nadu temple stampede

Eleven people were injured in a stampede at a temple entrance in Srirangam.

Eleven people were injured in a stampede at a temple entrance in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, during a festival, temple officials said on Wednesday.

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Over 100,000 devotees from different parts of the country had gathered on Tuesday at the Vaishnva temple near Tiruchirapally on the banks of the Cauvery river, about 400 km south of Chennai, at the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple.

When a barricade at the temple's eastern entrance was removed to accommodate the swelling crowd celebrating the Vaikunda Ekadasi festival, it resulted in a stampede.

No loss of life was reported. The injured were treated at a local hospital, the temple officials said.

A major disaster was averted due to the security arrangements and the presence of 2,000 policemen, the officials added.