Death toll climbs to 40 after stampede at political rally for popular actor Vijay in southern India

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NEW DELHI (AP) — The death toll following a stampede at a political rally for a popular Indian actor and politician in the southern state of Tamil Nadu has climbed to 40, the state’s health minister said Sunday, as medics treated at least 124 injured in hospitals.

Ma Subramanian told The Associated Press that 36 victims were dead by the time they were taken to a hospital on Saturday night and four more died later. He said the injured were largely stable. The dead included nine children, Subramanian said.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the district of Karur on Saturday to attend the rally by Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, popularly and professionally known as Vijay, amid sweltering heat. Vijay is one of Tamil Nadu’s most successful actors and is running for office in state elections scheduled to be held in early 2026.

In southern Indian states, particularly Tamil Nadu, some film stars have larger than life status, rooted in the ancient Tamil culture of hero worship. Many have become successful politicians and some have even been given divine status.

S. Sabesan, a local resident who was at the rally, said Vijay was supposed to address the rally around noon but arrived more than six hours late. He said by that time, a large crowd had choked the roads.

“A lot of barricades and ropes were placed around the venue” for crowd management, Sabesan said, adding that the crowd became so large that “nobody could control it.”

Multiple people “fainted as he addressed the rally. Vijay halted the speech and called in an ambulance to help them,” said Sabesan, a 42-year-old textile businessman.

R. Rajendaran, a lawyer in Karur who witnessed the rally and subsequent accident, said at one point Vijay threw water bottles into the crowd from atop his campaign vehicle.

“When he decided to leave and his vehicle started moving, commotion broke out as hundreds of his fans and supporters chased his vehicle,” Rajendaran said. “That is what led to the stampede.”

Subramanian, the minister, said “there was indiscipline” at the rally. The government has announced a probe led by a former judge who will submit the report in a month, he said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced over $11,000 each to the families of the dead.

Vijay retired from acting in 2024 and launched his own political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He has drawn massive crowds to his public meetings.

Hours after the accident, Vijay offered his condolences.

“My heart is shattered,” he posted on X. “I am writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the “unfortunate incident” was “deeply saddening.”

Stampedes are relatively common in India when large crowds gather. In January, at least 30 people were killed as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival, the world’s largest religious gathering.