Six killed, dozens injured in stampede at Indian temple

Staff Writers
Reuters
India has a history of crowd accidents, including the deaths of 11 people outside a stadium in June.
India has a history of crowd accidents, including the deaths of 11 people outside a stadium in June. Credit: AAP

At least six people have been killed and more than 25 injured in a stampede after a large crowd gathered at the Mansa Devi temple in northern India.

The incident in the pilgrimage city of Haridwar occurred on Sunday 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, confirmed the deaths and said worshippers scrambled for safety following the incident.

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The chief minister of India’s northern state of Uttarakhand posted on X that local police and other rescue teams had reached the spot and were engaged in relief and rescue operations.

Local officials said thousands of pilgrims had gathered at the hilltop temple - a major site for Hindu devotees, especially on festival days and weekends.

India has a history of crowd accidents.

At least 30 people died at the Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in January as tens of millions gathered to dip in sacred waters.

At least 11 people died in crowd chaos outside an Indian cricket stadium in June.

- with AP

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