Today's Edition
BHUBANESWAR, INDIA (AGENCIES)
Three people were killed and six injured in a stampede during a festival in eastern India on Sunday, officials said.
The incident occurred at dawn as thousands of Hindu devotees gathered at an annual chariot festival in Puri.
"Three people have died and six sustained injuries; none of them are serious and all are out of danger,” YB Khurania, director general of police in the state of Odisha, told Reuters.
"There was a sudden surge in the crowd. Ninees devotees experienced breathlessness and were taken to hospital. While three died, the others are in stable condition," Siddharth Swain, a district administrative official, told reporters.
Local media reported that several other festivalgoers were injured, but the officials could not immediately confirm.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the "tragic incident" occurred due to the "overwhelming rush of devotees".
“I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives,” Majhi posted on social media platform.
"This negligence is unforgivable. I have directed an immediate investigation into the safety lapses and exemplary actions will be taken against those responsible."
Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes have claimed several lives at recent religious festivals in India
In May, six people were crushed to death in the state of Goa after thousands gathered for a popular fire-walking ritual.
And in January, at least 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.
