Overview

• Authorities in Tamil Nadu said 39 people died in a mass panic at a political rally in Karur headlined by actor-politician Vijay, with dozens more injured.
• Victims include children, according to Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, who shared updated figures a day after initial reports put the toll lower.
• Police and eyewitnesses described hours of waiting in extreme heat and an unexpectedly large turnout of about 27,000 people before the crowd surged.
• Local media reported people were pushed toward the stage and lost consciousness, and one outlet said the panic may have followed a spectator falling from a tree, a detail not officially confirmed.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences as officials probe crowd management, a focus sharpened by other deadly crushes in India earlier this year.