the state’s health minister said Sunday, as medics treated at least 124 injured in hospitals. Ma Subramanian told The Associated Press that 36 victims were dead by the time they were taken to a hospital on Saturday night, and four more died later. He said the injured were largely stable. The dead included nine children, Subramanian said. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the district of Karur on Saturday to attend the rally by Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, popularly and professionally known as Vijay, amid sweltering heat. Vijay is one of Tamil Nadu’s most successful actors and is running for office in state elections scheduled to be held in early 2026. In southern Indian states, particularly Tamil Nadu, some film stars have larger than life status, rooted in the ancient Tamil culture of hero worship. Many have become successful politicians and some have even been given divine status.’ S. Sabesan, a local resident who was at the rally, said Vijay was supposed to address the rally around noon but arrived more than six hours late. He said, by that time, a large crowd had choked the roads. “A lot of barricades and ropes were placed around the venue” for crowd management, Sabesan said, adding that the crowd became so large that “nobody could control it”. (Jamaica Gleaner)