At least 12 killed, 13 injured in stampede in Indian temple
New Delhi, Jan 1 (EFE).- At least 12 people were killed and 13 injured in the early hours of Saturday in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The incident took place after an altercation between young people, amid a massive surge of Hindu devotees trying to enter the popular Hindu shrine of Goddess Vaishno Devi in the city of Katra on New Year.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Inspector General of Police Dilbagh Singh told reporters that 12 people were killed in the incident and 13 wounded, who had been admitted to local hospitals.
Images shared by local media outlets showed a massive crowd of people jostling with each other while trying to approach the temple before the accident.
A high-level probe has been opened into the incident.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and pledged a compensation of 200,000 rupees (around $2,700) along with 50,000 rupees for the wounded.
“Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon,” Modi tweeted.
Stampedes are relatively common in India, especially during religious celebrations.
In September 2017, a stampede at a walking bridge at a railway station in the city of Mumbai had killed 22 people and wounded around 25.
In October 2016, at least 19 people died in a stampede when thousands of people started running over fears of a bridge collapsing in the northern city of Varanasi.
In July 2015, 27 people died in the central state of Andhra Pradesh during a religious festival. EFE
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