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Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Three devotees killed and over 50 injured in crowd crush at India chariot festival
At least three people were killed and nearly 50 injured in a stampede at a major Hindu festival in eastern India on Sunday morning. The incident took place at around 4.30am local time as a large crowd gathered for darshan, or ceremonial viewing, of the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra during the annual Rath Yatra in the city of Puri, India Today reported. Puri collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said the crowd swelled near Saradhabali, directly in front of the Gundicha temple, and suddenly went out of control, causing the stampede. The injured devotees were taken to the Puri District Hospital and at least six of them remained in critical condition. The victims – Basanti Sahu, Prabhati Das and Premakant Mohanty – were all from Khurda district, about 60km from Puri. Their bodies had been sent for autopsies, Mr Swain said. On Friday, more than 600 devotees required medical assistance as a massive crowd gathered amid intense heat near the Balagandi area, where one of the three ceremonial chariots became stuck for over an hour. The Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot Festival, is one of the most important Hindu festivals in India and draws over a million people to Puri each year. It celebrates the annual journey of Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra from the main Jagannath temple in the city to the nearby shrine of Gundicha. The deities are transported on giant, handcrafted wooden chariots pulled by thousands of worshippers. The deities stay at the Gundicha temple for several days before returning to the main shrine. The return is marked by another procession and the festival ends with a ceremony called Niladri Vijaya where the chariots are taken apart until the following year. #WATCH | Puri, Odisha | Ambulances reached the Rath Yatra spot after some people complained of suffocation and were reported unconscious due to humidity. The affected people were taken to the hospital and were provided with the required medical assistance — ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2025 More than a million devotees had gathered in Puri by Saturday, NDTV quoted Sanjay Kumar, the additional director general of police, as saying. Puri chief medical officer Dr Kishore Satapathy said the majority of the patients on Friday were treated at outpatient clinics and later discharged. Odisha health minister Mukesh Mahaling said 'the oppressive climate during the procession' played a major role in the spike in medical cases, PTI news agency reported. As many as 625 people were treated for heat-related illnesses and injuries on Friday, PTI said. Nearly 70 devotees remained hospitalised as of Saturday, according to local authorities. Much of Friday's unrest centred on Balabhadra's chariot, Taladhwaja, which got stuck while navigating a tight street corner. The delay caused a bottleneck which intensified as thousands of people surged forward to continue the age-old tradition of pulling the towering wooden chariots with ropes. In the crush, many devotees entered restricted zones, making movement increasingly difficult. Ambulances stationed at the 12th-century Jagannath temple transported the injured pilgrims to nearby medical centres. Volunteers from public and private groups assisted in rescue and evacuation efforts.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Jagannath Rath Yatra stampede: Eye witnesses recall horror; ex-CM Patnaik blames 'incompetence' for deaths
Three devotees died and over 50 others were injured in a deadly stampede near the Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, during the annual Rath Yatra festival on Sunday morning. The incident unfolded between 4 and 5 am as thousands of pilgrims had gathered to witness the rituals when chaos broke out, reportedly due to two ritual trucks entering a congested area. Also read: 3 dead, 50 injured in stampede near Puri's Gundicha Temple Officials identified the deceased as Premakant Mohanty (80), Basanti Sahoo (36), and Prabhati Das (42). While the situation was later brought under control, the tragedy has drawn sharp criticism over the failure in crowd management, with eyewitnesses blaming poor planning and VIP arrangements for the chaos. The state government has launched an investigation, and Odisha's Director General of Police (DGP) Y B Khurania was sent to the spot to take stock. This is the first time such a fatal incident has occurred near the Gundicha Temple during Rath Yatra. Eyewitness accounts point to chaos and mismanagement Several eyewitnesses recounted scenes of utter confusion and mismanagement. Swadhin Kumar Panda, a local resident, said, 'I was there near the temple till 23 am last night, but the management was not good. A new way was made for VIPs, and common people were asked to exit from a distance. People started exiting from the entrance itself, which increased the crowd.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What Does My Family Name Mean? beenverified Sign Up Undo He added that unauthorised vehicles had entered the restricted zones near the temple, worsening the situation. 'There was no police or administration present at night… The Odisha administration is responsible for this,' he said. Another grieving man who lost his wife in the stampede said no fire, rescue, or hospital officials responded promptly. 'This is a pathetic incident that cannot be expressed,' he said. Law Minister confirms deaths, promises action Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan confirmed that three people died due to suffocation and six to seven were seriously injured. 'It is an unfortunate incident. We are taking note of that. I spoke with the CM this morning. We are taking stringent action,' he told ANI, adding that the DGP had been dispatched to the site. 'The situation is now under control and the people are having darshan,' Harichandan said. He stated that additional police had been deployed and an investigation was underway. 'We are trying our best to manage the crowd,' he said, assuring that he was personally monitoring the situation and would take necessary steps to avoid a repeat. Former CM Patnaik slams 'glaring incompetence' Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik issued a strongly worded statement, criticising the current administration's failure to ensure safety. 'Today's stampede, occurring just a day after the abysmal failure of crowd management during the Rath Yatra that left hundreds injured, exposes the government's glaring incompetence,' he wrote on X. He also said the initial response came not from officials but from devotees' relatives. 'While I refrain from accusing the government of criminal negligence, their blatant callousness has undeniably contributed to this tragedy,' he said, urging immediate corrective measures for upcoming rituals like Adapa Bije and Bahuda Yatra. Chariot procession overwhelmed by crowd, trucks blamed The stampede reportedly began when two trucks carrying ritual materials entered the already packed area near the chariots. Eyewitness Chinmay Patra said, 'The narrow congregation site, combined with limited police presence and scattered palmlog ladders near the chariots, created hazardous conditions for devotees.' The chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra had reached the Gundicha Temple on Saturday, one day after the Rath Yatra commenced. Local resident Debasis Das said that the pulling of Lord Jagannath's chariot had already faced delays due to crowd pressure. 'Sunday's tragedy was a devastating repeat,' he said. Health emergency: Hundreds fall ill, 12 in ICU On Saturday, a day before the stampede, over 750 people reportedly suffered from exhaustion and heatrelated issues due to the massive turnout. Around 230 devotees were admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital and another 520 to the district headquarters hospital, with 12 admitted to ICU. One critically ill patient was shifted to SCB Medical College in Cuttack.
