Overhead energy line reportedly snaps and falls onto part of the group, triggering panic amongst devotees.
No less than six individuals have been killed and dozens injured in a crush after a big crowd gathered at a well-liked Hindu temple in northern India’s Uttarakhand state.
The incident on the Mansa Devi Temple in Haridwar metropolis occurred on Sunday after a high-voltage electrical wire reportedly fell on a temple path, triggering panic among the many giant crowd of devotees.
“The sight of the wire falling brought on speedy panic, and a determined scramble to flee led to the stampede,” native police official Ritesh Saha informed The Occasions of India newspaper.
Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior authorities official in Uttarakhand, confirmed the deaths. Hospital officers stated one particular person was electrocuted, whereas others died within the ensuing stampede, Indian media studies stated.
Police and emergency companies rushed to the scene after the incident and launched a rescue operation. Almost 35 injured individuals have been transported to a close-by hospital, officers stated.
“The scenario is now underneath management,” Pandey informed The Related Press information company by telephone from Haridwar. “However the panic led to tragic penalties.”
Authorities are investigating what brought on the overhead wire to break down and whether or not correct crowd administration protocols have been in place. The temple city attracts tens of millions of holiday makers every year.
“This can be very distressing to obtain information of a stampede on the path to the Mansa Devi Temple in Haridwar,” Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami posted on X.
Crowd surges at non secular gatherings aren’t unusual in India, the place large teams typically congregate at temples or pilgrimage websites, generally overwhelming native infrastructure and safety measures.
In June, a sudden crowd surge at a Hindu competition within the coastal state of Odisha triggered a stampede that killed at the very least three individuals and injured a number of others. The earlier month noticed six individuals crushed to dying within the western state of Goa after 1000’s gathered for a well-liked fire-walking ritual.
In January, at the very least 30 individuals have been killed in an early morning crush on the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in Uttar Pradesh state’s Prayagraj district.
