42 die as flood victims stampede

THOUSANDS of flood victims waiting in line for relief vouchers stampeded into a government-run distribution centre in southern India yesterday, killing at least 42 people and injuring 37.

Nearly 3,000 people lined up before dawn along a narrow street leading to a school where they were to collect coupons for provisions, R Nataraj, the city’s police chief, said.

Police asked the crowd to leave, saying the centre would not open for hours, but the victims demanded the vouchers be distributed immediately.