As many as 10 devotees have died of heart attacks while undertaking the arduous climb to the famous Ayyappa temple in the Sabarimala hills since the beginning of the pilgrimage season two weeks ago. Of the devotees who died, at least three were from Andhra Pradesh and the rest from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In the last pilgrimage season, around 35 devotees had died of cardiac arrest while climbing the hill. Most of them belonged to the 45 plus age group. The deaths have occurred though the authorities have set up four medical centres on key points — at the Pampa base camp, Neelimala, Appachimedu and Sannidhanam — where services of cardiologists are available round-the-clock.
“Most of those who died in the last two weeks had a heart condition and were taking medicines,” Dr Kiran, a cardiologist of the SAHAS medical centre at Sannidhanam, told this newspaper.
“Ideally, heart patients should not undertake the trek. But they do because of their faith.”
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Mumbai cop jeep knocks toddler dead
Mumbai, Dec. 3: A one-and-a-half-year-old boy died after being hit by a speeding police jeep at a beach in south Mumbai on Friday, the police said.
The driver Sunil Soni, constable attached with D.B. Marg police station, was arrested after the boy Arjun Naidu succumbed to head injuries in a private hospital, they said.
According to the police, the boy was playing on the Girgaum Chowpatty beach as his mother went to buy a water bottle and wafers for them.
Soni was patrolling the beach and driving the jeep when the victim suddenly came before the vehicle, D.B. Marg police station inspector V. Shinde said.
—PTI