During the ‘Chitra Pournami’ festival that was held in Muthayampalayam village’s Karuppasamy temple in Trichy on Sunday, seven people, including four women, were killed in a stampede.

The incident reportedly happened at around 11 am at the Muthayampalayam village in Trichy’s Thuraiyur Taluk. “It was ‘Pidikkaasu,’ an event of collecting coins from the priest before the Lord Karuppasamy idol in the temple. As too many people tried to get ‘Pidikkaasu,’ the stampede occurred,” a police official stated. This is apparently the first time a stampede has happened in the temple, even though the event has been happening every year since 2004.

“The temple lies about 200 meters away from the main road. As rumours spread that the holy coins event is set to finish, devotees rushed to the temple. Though there were proper barricades, there was a rush. Seven people died in the incident,” Trichy’s superintendent of police reported.