7 killed in India temple stampede

Seven people have died and dozens of devotees suffered injuries in a stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in the holy city of Haridwar in India’s Uttarakhand. The stampede occurred on the staircases on the temple road leading to the main temple. Cops suggest rumours about potential electrocution caused panic among the crowd and led to the stampede.

Garhwal Division Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said a huge crowd had gathered at the Mansa Devi temple before the stampede. Visuals showed injured devotees being taken to the hospital in ambulances and several others undergoing treatment. The total injury count is pegged at 55.

Uttarakhand Police's State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the local police are engaged in relief operations, said Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. 

Pramendra Singh Dobal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Haridwar, initially confirmed six deaths and said, "The police force reached the spot immediately and began the rescue operation. Around 35 injured people were admitted to the hospital, out of which six deaths have been confirmed. The main cause behind the stampede appears to be panic triggered by rumours about an electric current."

The tragedy unfolded during the auspicious Hindu month of Sawan, which witnesses a rush of devotees at all pilgrimage points in the city. Haridwar is also a major destination for Shiv devotees, Kanwariyas, who visit the city to collect water from the Ganga during this time.

Narrating the incident, an injured devotee from Bihar told news agency ANI that a huge crowd had suddenly gathered at the temple, which led to the stampede. As people tried to jostle their way out of the crowd, he fell and fractured his hand.

Source: NDTV