At least seven people have been killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede at a Hindu temple in eastern India’s Bihar state on Monday, after a snapped electric wire reportedly triggered panic among worshippers.
The incident occurred near Ashok Dham Temple in Lakhisarai district, where thousands of devotees had gathered to offer prayers on the third Monday of Shravan, one of the holiest months in the Hindu calendar. The period, which usually falls between July and August, is dedicated to the worship of Hindu god Lord Shiva and is marked by fasting, prayers and colourful monsoon festivals across India.
Cause under investigation
Shailendra Kumar, a civil official, said more than a dozen people were taken to a government hospital for treatment. He added that the cause of the stampede was still being probed.
According to preliminary reports, an electric wire snapped outside the temple premises at around 6.30am, sparking panic as devotees rushed to escape what they feared was a risk of electrocution. A section of the barricades collapsed under the weight of the surging crowd, leading to a crush in which people fell over one another, said Mr Kumar, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
History of crowd crushes
Crowd crushes are relatively common in India during religious festivals, as large crowds, sometimes in the millions, gather in confined areas with few safety or crowd control measures.
Last year in January, at least 30 people were killed as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival, the world’s largest religious gathering. In 2013, pilgrims attending a Hindu festival at a temple in the central state of Madhya Pradesh panicked amid fears that a bridge would collapse. At least 115 people were crushed to death or drowned in the river below.
