India

Dozens killed in temple stampede

Article published on the 2008-08-03 Latest update 2008-08-03 14:00 TU

Three goddesses, Lakshimi, Parvati and Saraswati conjoined - Devi is the female aspect of the divine in Hindusim

Dozens of people have been killed and many others injured in an accident at a Hindu temple in northern India. About 30 of the dead are reported to be children. A stampede took place after a railing collapsed at the Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh, where tens of thousands of worshippers had gathered for a week-long festival.

Police have confirmed 80 deaths and 45 injured. Most died of suffocation after a railing at the shrine collapsed under the weight of the crowd, causing many worshippers to fall down and many more to panic.

Police were swamped when many more than the 50,000 expected turned up on Sunday, leading to a massive rush at the pilgrimage centre in the Himalayan foothills.

Most of the dead were from neighbouring Punjab state, which has been asked to provide extra police to cope with the aftermath.

Temple stampedes are common in India during festivals. Six people died when about a million people gathered in the eastern state of Orissa in July, while nine died in a stampede of 100,000 worshippers at a temple in central India in March.