Poor lighting, 'bloody' route led to stampede

MANDHARDEVI: Two hundred and fifty pilgrims were killed on Tuesday in a stampede at the Mandhardevi Kalubai temple. What aggravated the situation was the fury of the mob which began to attack policemen present at the site.
Officials said even the police, doctors and officials could not reach the temple immediately as the approach road was blocked by the crowd.Control was restored only towards evening after additional police were rushed along with rescue teams to move the injured to hospitals. CM Vilasrao Deshmukh and his deputy R R Patil left for Wai after hearing about the mishap. The religious fair this year had attracted a larger crowd due to the good monsoon.
According to locals, a large number of goats are sacrificed during the fair for which a team of seven butchers and cooks camp at the hill, as devotees are supposed to cook and eat the offerings outside the temple. They said the sanctum sanctorum as well as the parikrama path are badly lit. To make matters worse, the place where goats are sacrificed is located near the temple, making the blood-dampened ground slippery.