A 60-year-old woman, B. Fatima, of Goripalayam, was killed and another young woman, J. Umamaheswari (26) of Sammattipuram suffered fracture on her leg after a portion of an overcrowded stage collapsed at Tallakulam during the procession of Lord Kallazhagar in the small hours of Friday.
Police said that the stage was put up for media personnel covering the annual Chithirai festival event at Sri Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple at Tallakulam.
However, with more and more people jumping on to the stage to have a better view of Lord Kallazhagar, the overcrowded stage caved in and the duo was injured.
Fatima was brought dead to the Government Rajaji Hospital. The other victim had a fracture on her right leg.
The Tallakulam police have registered a case of accident.
Meanwhile, the huge posse of police personnel deployed in and around the riverbed where Lord Kallazhagar descended ensured that the event passed off peacefully.
Thousands of devotees had gathered at the venue and along the north and south banks of the Vaigai, Obulapadithurai causeway and on Albert Victor bridge and Kalpalam new bridge to witness the event.
Hundreds of men and women with their children braved the swift flow and waded through the waist-deep water to get closer to the venue.
Along with police personnel drawn from neighbouring districts, over 700 constable recruits under training also were deployed for the bandobust.
