Overhead energy line reportedly snaps and falls onto part of the group, triggering panic amongst devotees.
No less than six folks 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 massive crowd of devotees.
“The sight of the wire falling prompted quick panic, and a determined scramble to flee led to the stampede,” native police official Ritesh Saha instructed The Instances of India newspaper.
Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior authorities official in Uttarakhand, confirmed the deaths. Hospital officers stated one individual was electrocuted, whereas others died within the ensuing stampede, Indian media experiences stated.
Police and emergency providers rushed to the scene after the incident and launched a rescue operation. Almost 35 injured folks have been transported to a close-by hospital, officers stated.
“The state of affairs is now underneath management,” Pandey instructed The Related Press information company by telephone from Haridwar. “However the panic led to tragic penalties.”
Authorities are investigating what prompted the overhead wire to break down and whether or not correct crowd administration protocols have been in place. The temple city attracts thousands and thousands of tourists 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 spiritual gatherings are usually not 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 not less than three folks and injured a number of others. The earlier month noticed six folks crushed to demise within the western state of Goa after 1000’s gathered for a well-liked fire-walking ritual.
In January, not less than 30 folks have been killed in an early morning crush on the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in Uttar Pradesh state’s Prayagraj district.
