Buddhist devotees flocking to see a sacred tooth in Sri Lanka were urged to stay clear by police after hundreds of people queuing fell sick and a woman died.
Regional police chief Lalith Pathinayake said queues in the city of Kandy were already 10km long to worship what Buddhists believe to be a tooth of the Buddha – a special showing of the relic that will end on Sunday.
Officials estimated there were around 450,000 people in queues yesterday, more than double the expected daily number of 200,000.
“At the rate the queue is moving, even those already in line this morning may not be able to enter the temple,” Deputy Inspector-General Pathinayake said.
The city’s main state-run hospital reported that nearly 300 people had been admitted after falling ill while spending days in cramped conditions.
One woman was pronounced dead on admission.
“We are trying to avoid a stampede,” said Sarath Abeykoon, the governor of the province.
The railway department said it was suspending all additional trains to the city as authorities were already overwhelmed by the number of pilgrims. — AFP
