Latest news with #Haridwar
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Crowd surge at Hindu temple in northern India leaves at least 6 dead
India Temple Crowd LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in northern India left at least six people dead and dozens injured, local authorities said Sunday. The incident in the pilgrimage city of Haridwar occurred after a high-voltage electric wire reportedly fell on a temple path, triggering panic among the large crowd of devotees. Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior government official in Uttarakhand state where the incident happened, confirmed the deaths and said worshippers scrambled for safety following the incident. Some 29 people were injured, according to Haridwar city's senior police official Pramendra Singh Doval. Thousands of pilgrims had gathered at the Mansa Devi hilltop temple, which is a major site for Hindu devotees, especially on weekends and festival days, local officials said. They were celebrating the holy month of Shravan. Someone in the crowd shouted about an electric current on the pathway around 9 a.m. 'Since the path is narrow and meant only for foot traffic, confusion and panic spread instantly,' said local priest Ujjwal Pandit. 'A wall along the path is also suspected to have worsened the crowd bottleneck,' he added. Police and emergency services rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation. The injured were transported to a nearby hospital, officials said. 'The situation is now under control,' Pandey told the Associated Press by phone from Haridwar. 'But the panic led to tragic consequences.' Authorities are investigating what caused the overhead wire to collapse, and whether proper crowd management protocols were in place. The town of Haridwar draws millions of visitors each year. The Mansa Devi temple, which is accessible by cable car or foot, is a major pilgrimage site that draws thousands of visitors daily during Shravan. Crowd surges at religious gatherings are not uncommon in India, where massive groups often congregate at temples or pilgrimage sites, sometimes overwhelming local infrastructure and security measures. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims and their families in a social media post and wished for a fast recovery for those who were injured. Solve the daily Crossword
Arab News
4 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Crowd surge at Hindu temple in northern India leaves at least 6 dead
LUCKNOW: A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in northern India left at least six people dead and dozens injured, local authorities said Sunday. The incident in the pilgrimage city of Haridwar occurred after a high-voltage electric wire reportedly fell on a temple path, triggering panic among the large crowd of devotees. Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior government official in Uttarakhand state where the incident happened, confirmed the deaths and said worshippers scrambled for safety following the incident. Some 29 people were injured, according to Haridwar city's senior police official Pramendra Singh Doval. Thousands of pilgrims had gathered at the Mansa Devi hilltop temple, which is a major site for Hindu devotees, especially on weekends and festival days, local officials said. They were celebrating the holy month of Shravan. Someone in the crowd shouted about an electric current on the pathway around 9am. 'Since the path is narrow and meant only for foot traffic, confusion and panic spread instantly,' said local priest Ujjwal Pandit. 'A wall along the path is also suspected to have worsened the crowd bottleneck,' he added. Police and emergency services rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation. The injured were transported to a nearby hospital, officials said. 'The situation is now under control,' Pandey told the Associated Press by phone from Haridwar. 'But the panic led to tragic consequences.' Authorities are investigating what caused the overhead wire to collapse, and whether proper crowd management protocols were in place. The town of Haridwar draws millions of visitors each year. The Mansa Devi temple, which is accessible by cable car or foot, is a major pilgrimage site that draws thousands of visitors daily during Shravan. Crowd surges at religious gatherings are not uncommon in India, where massive groups often congregate at temples or pilgrimage sites, sometimes overwhelming local infrastructure and security measures. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims and their families in a social media post and wished for a fast recovery for those who were injured.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Crowd surge at Hindu temple in northern India leaves at least 6 dead
Relatives stand outside a hospital as the injured from temple stampede were brought, in Haridwar, India, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo) LUCKNOW, India — A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in northern India left at least six people dead and dozens injured, local authorities said Sunday. The incident in the pilgrimage city of Haridwar occurred after a high-voltage electric wire reportedly fell on a temple path, triggering panic among the large crowd of devotees. Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior government official in Uttarakhand state where the incident happened, confirmed the deaths and said worshippers scrambled for safety following the incident. Some 29 people were injured, according to Haridwar city's senior police official Pramendra Singh Doval. Thousands of pilgrims had gathered at the Mansa Devi hilltop temple, which is a major site for Hindu devotees, especially on weekends and festival days, local officials said. They were celebrating the holy month of Shravan. Someone in the crowd shouted about an electric current on the pathway around 9 a.m. 'Since the path is narrow and meant only for foot traffic, confusion and panic spread instantly,' said local priest Ujjwal Pandit. 'A wall along the path is also suspected to have worsened the crowd bottleneck,' he added. Police and emergency services rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation. The injured were transported to a nearby hospital, officials said. 'The situation is now under control,' Pandey told the Associated Press by phone from Haridwar. 'But the panic led to tragic consequences.' Authorities are investigating what caused the overhead wire to collapse, and whether proper crowd management protocols were in place. The town of Haridwar draws millions of visitors each year. The Mansa Devi temple, which is accessible by cable car or foot, is a major pilgrimage site that draws thousands of visitors daily during Shravan. Crowd surges at religious gatherings are not uncommon in India, where massive groups often congregate at temples or pilgrimage sites, sometimes overwhelming local infrastructure and security measures. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims and their families in a social media post and wished for a fast recovery for those who were injured. Biswajeet Banerjee, The Associated Press
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Six killed after falling wires cause crowd surge at Hindu temple in India
A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in Haridwar, northern India, resulted in at least six deaths and 29 injuries on Sunday. The incident was triggered when a high-voltage electric wire reportedly fell on a temple path, causing widespread panic among the large gathering of devotees. Thousands of pilgrims had congregated at the Mansa Devi hilltop temple to celebrate the holy month of Shravan when the panic ensued around 9 a.m. Local officials and a priest indicated that a narrow pathway and a wall along it exacerbated the crowd bottleneck, contributing to the tragic consequences. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the overhead wire collapse and assessing whether appropriate crowd management protocols were in place.
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
India: 6 dead in Haridwar temple stampede
A stampede at a popular Hindu temple in northern India left at least six people dead, officials said Sunday. According to a DW tally, the crush was at least the seventh major stampede in India so far this year, including one at a cricket stadium in Bengaluru in June. The incidents have resulted in over 70 deaths. What do we know about the Haridwar stampede? The incident happened at the Mansa Devi temple in the northern city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand state, about a 5-hour drive from the country's capital, New Delhi. The crush reportedly began at around 8.30 a.m. local time (0300 UTC) after a high-voltage electric wire fell on a temple path, triggering panic among the large group of devotees. Officials also believe the crush could have been triggered by a rumor, the Times of India reported. Haridwar police official Parmendra Dobhal told AFP news agency that six people had been killed and more than 10 were injured. The Times of India put the number of injured at 34, citing local officials. Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior government official in Uttarakhand state, recalled how worshippers had scrambled for safety following the incident. "The situation is now under control," Pandey told the Associated Press by phone from Haridwar. "But the panic led to tragic consequences." Uttarakhand's chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, wrote on X that local police and other rescue teams had reached the spot and were engaged in relief and rescue operations. The injured have been taken to the local hospital, Indian news agency ANI reported. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his condolences to the victims and their families in a social media post. What is Haridwar's significance for Hindus? Local officials said thousands of pilgrims had gathered at the hilltop temple, which is a major site for Hindu devotees, especially on weekends and festival days. Haridwar is an ancient city and considered a holy place, lying where the River Ganges exits the Himalayan foothills. Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence in India. At least 30 people died at the Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in January as tens of millions gathered to dip in sacred waters. In June, a sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in the coastal state of Odisha triggered a stampede that killed at least three people and injured several others. Also in June, 11 people were killed and dozens injured in a crowd crush during celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory in the Indian Premier League cricket.
