KARUR: When his wife and daughter, both die-hard fans of actor Vijay, wanted to attend the roadshow to catch a glimpse of their star, Sakthivel from Emur village in Karur agreed to it. “My wife Priyadharshini (35) and our daughter Dharnika (14) were elated, as they had the opportunity to see Vijay in person,” said Sakthivel. They were among the 25 people from Emur who went to Velusamy Puram. And the mother and daughter were among the five who died in the rush on Saturday night.

The Karur Medical College Hospital, where the injured were rushed to and the bodies of the victims have been kept, is swarming with grief-stricken relatives. Unable to control their sorrow, many broke down.

Among the grieving kin was Ananda Jothi from Pugazhur in Karur, who lost his wife Hemalatha (25), and two children, Sai Lakshana (8) and Sai Jeeva (4). Another was Perumal from Velusamy Puram, who lost both his daughters, Palaniammal (11) and Gokila (14).

Sudan from Aravakurichi agreed to take care of his two-year-old daughter, Saswika, so that his wife, Brindha (22), could attend the event to catch a glimpse of the star. She died of suffocation a few hours later. “All over her body and inside her mouth was mud, and there were severe wounds all over her body,” said Sudan, who had survived from an accident two months ago.