Six killed in temple stampede in India’s Haridwar

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HARIDWAR: At least six people were killed in a latest incident of temple stampede after a large crowd gathered in the northern Indian city of Haridwar, ANI reported on Sunday, citing Garhwal Division Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey.

According to Al Jazeera, the incident occurred at the Mansa Devi temple after a high-voltage electric wire reportedly fell on a temple path, triggering panic among the large crowd of devotees.

“The sight of the wire falling caused immediate panic, and a desperate scramble to escape led to the stampede,” local police official Ritesh Saha told The Times of India.

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

“Six dead and more than 10 injured are admitted to the hospital,” senior city police official Parmendra Dobhal told AFP.

The injured have been taken to the local hospital, the ANI report added.

TEMPLE SPAMPEDE REPEATED

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. In June, at least 11 people died in crowd chaos outside an Indian cricket stadium.

Read more: Major stampedes in India over the years

Authorities are investigating what caused the overhead wire to collapse and whether proper crowd management protocols were in place. The temple town draws millions of visitors each year, Al Jazeera reported.