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43 killed in stampede in an India relief center
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-12-18 15:12
NEW DELHI - Forty-three homeless people were trampled to death on Sunday and
42 were injured in a stampede during the distribution of flood relief supplies
at a shelter in southern India, officials said.
The early morning
incident occurred in Chennai, formerly known as Madras, when thousands of people
had lined up for the relief supplies.
"Over 5,000 people rushed in as
the gates of the shelter opened, causing the stampede," S. Chandramohan, top
administrator of Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu state, told Reuters by
telephone.
Police said the stampede took place when it began to rain
during the distribution of supplies at the centre located in a government school
building.
"People started rushing to safer places, leading to the
stampede," they said.
Television channels showed chaotic scenes outside
the relief centre with many women wailing as bodies were ferried in police vans
and ambulances.
Chennai and many other parts of Tamil Nadu have been
lashed by heavy rains in the past few weeks. Many coastal villages have been
inundated, leaving thousands homeless.
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