At least 39 dead in stampede at actor Vijay's rally in Karur

At least 39 people died in a stampede at a rally addressed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President and Tamil superstar Vijay in Karur in Tamil Nadu on Saturday (September 27, 2025), as part of his Statewide political tour. Over 80 people were injured.

- S VENKAT NARAYAN Our SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The meeting, held at Velusamypuram, began at 7:20 p.m. and drew several thousand people who had been packed into congested roads since the morning, waiting to see and hear Vijay.

As the crowd, mostly youngsters, surged towards the vehicles to see the actor-turned-politician, many people who had been standing at the meeting point since 10 a.m. were forced to move to give way for Vijay’s vehicle. With very little room left to move, chaos and confusion ensued, triggering a stampede.

Several people fell onto a covered shed, where a generator had been placed to provide electricity to illuminate the area.

As the event progressed, there were repeated instances of people fainting. Witnessing their distress, Vijay paused his speech, threw water bottles from his propaganda van, and asked one of his aides to check on the gathering. When he noticed someone collapse near his vehicle, he used the microphone to instruct party members to call an ambulance immediately.

Since many people were fainting and sensing that the situation was getting out of control, Vijay cut his speech short and left the spot, which, by then, resembled a war zone, with hundreds of shoes and sandals, water bottles, clothes, and other possessions strewn on the road.

Soon, ambulances began to arrive at the spot and transported the injured people to the old Government Hospital and the Government Medical College Hospital in Karur.

On receiving information about the stampede, both government and private ambulances stationed at different parts of Karur, Namakkal, and Tiruchi districts rushed to the spot and brought the injured to the hospitals. Reports of missing children in the aftermath of the stampede added to the chaos.

Karur Medical College Hospital Dean R. Shanthimalar said: "Nearly 50 others are being treated in the ICU ward.