PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA, INDIA, December 25, 2000: A woman pilgrim was killed and 150 others were injured when the iron barricade along the Marakkoottom-Saramkuthi section of the Sabrimala trekking path gave way under crowd pressure. The deceased has been identified as Samrajamma, age 55 of Andhra Pradesh. Sabarimala has been witnessing a high volume of devotees since Sunday morning, and the police personnel stationed along the path were struggling to control the crowd. The line of devotees waiting for darshan in the morning had stretched beyond 4 kms. The police found it difficult to control the crowd of pilgrims trying to squeeze through the crammed barricades. When the iron barricade broke, over 300 pilgrims in line were thrown out into the unprotected forest area. Fire and police personnel rescued all the injured and rushed them to nearby hospitals where many were treated for broken bones, head injuries, and abrasions. The more seriously injured are receiving maximum medical care. The path was closed temporarily, but reopened later in the day. A Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court said all possible steps had been taken to control the crowd.
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